An accessory mammary gland is considered to be an ectopic (outside the natural location) arrangement of mammary tissues in the form of a separate lobule, lobe, or a full-fledged accessory mammary gland. Is it good or bad? From the point of view of aesthetics - at least, it does not correspond to the usual ideals of female beauty. From a medical point of view, the atypical proliferation of any tissues of the human body should cause medical alertness - in particular, in the light of the fact that in the 21st century, oncological diseases are one of the top medical problems.
Table of contents:The development of an accessory lobule, lobe or full-fledged breast is a relatively uncommon congenital malformation of intrauterine development. Pathology belongs to the category of rudimentary formations - that is, those that were present as a variant of the norm, but disappeared in the process of evolution. Similar rudimentary formations can be located:
This diagnosis is given to women. According to the anatomical canons, men have not mammary glands, but mammary glands, there is no mammary tissue as such, and therefore there is no chance that the representatives of the strong half of humanity have additional glands to grow in atypical locations. But as a result of some genetic and teratogenic (causing impaired fetal development) factors in men, an additional nipple may appear, which, moreover, is located in a location that is not typical for male nipples.
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Contrary to popular stereotypes about the almost leading role of the mammary glands in sexual relations, the accessory mammary gland is not a boon - its sexual value is highly questionable. In practice, men perceive the accessory mammary gland of their partners not as an integral element of female beauty and sexuality, but as a tumor, which can reduce the level of their sexual libido (attraction to the opposite sex), and in especially impressionable ones - and potency (ability to have sexual intercourse).
The most plausible is the following theory of the appearance of an accessory mammary gland: pathology develops during embryogenesis, the normal course of which was disrupted due to violations of the human gene set.
The key factors are highlighted, the role of which in the emergence of the accessory mammary gland has already been proven. This:
Additional lobules, lobes and mammary glands more often occur in patients whose close relatives suffered from the same deviation. However, the genes responsible for the development of accessory glands have not yet been found.
The effect of damaging agents on the fetus, which provokes the formation of additional mammary tissues, leads to:
The factors that provoke the failure of intrauterine development of the fetus with the formation of additional mammary glands are those that negatively affect the mother's body and, as a result, the fetus's body. This is often:
Physical factors that can provoke the development of this pathology are:
A change in temperature has a negative effect on the development of the fetus, mainly when:
In other words, the rudiments of the mammary glands will develop in the fetus in an atypical place if the average pregnant woman of the Caucasian race begins to live in a scorching desert or in pronounced subzero temperatures. Non-critical short-term exposure to abnormal temperatures is less dangerous in terms of the development of an additional mammary gland than other identified teratogenic factors.
The mechanical effect, which can be teratogenic, is a trauma to the abdomen, which the expectant mother can receive in the early stages of pregnancy, when all organs and systems of the fetus are laid. Injuries to the abdomen of a pregnant woman, which can provoke a failure of embryogenesis and the subsequent development of an additional mammary gland in an unborn female child, are:
A woman often receives intentional abdominal injuries due to domestic conflicts.
Most often, unintentional injuries to the abdomen of a pregnant woman occur under circumstances such as:
The negative effect of ionizing radiation on the fetus with the subsequent development of the described pathology is observed when:
Chemical factors that provoke the development of additional mammary tissues in a female fetus are compounds that affect the body of a woman and a fetus during pregnancy ... They can be divided into two large groups:
The most pronounced teratogenic effect is possessed by such medications as:
There are a lot of aggressive household and industrial substances that can disrupt the normal course of embryogenesis and provoke the development of additional mammary tissues. This:
and many others.
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In fact, any infectious diseases of the expectant mother in the first trimester (3-month period) of pregnancy are risk factors that can lead to a failure of embryogenesis and abnormal development of mammary tissues.
All known bad habits, from which a woman has not given up, at least during pregnancy, can become an impetus for the formation of additional mammary tissues in the fetus - these are:
Somatic diseases of the expectant mother deplete her body, disrupt compensatory mechanisms, therefore, they are indirect causes of impaired embryogenesis with the formation of additional mammary tissues in the unborn female child. So, an additional mammary gland was more often diagnosed in children whose mothers had pathologies of the heart, liver, kidneys, stomach, and so on.
Mental factors affecting a pregnant woman also play an indirect role in impaired embryogenesis in general and the formation of additional mammary tissues in the fetus, from which an additional mammary gland is formed, in particular.
The following should be understood: the additional mammary tissue does not grow like new - its embryonic rudiments already exist, and the pathology develops because the process of reverse development of these rudiments is disrupted.
The mammary glands are laid by the 6th week of intrauterine development of the fetus. Normally, mammary tissues form along the so-called milk lines, which run from the armpit to the groin. Under the influence of mutagens (factors that provoke the development of mutations), it is possible to lay such tissues in atypical places.
If the laying of the organs and tissues of the fetus and their further development proceed as usual, then the atypically placed rudimentary elements of the mammary glands undergo a reverse development over time and disappear. Already by the 10th week of a woman's pregnancy, the fetus has only a pair of mammary glands on the front surface of the chest. If the processes of reverse development are violated, then the additional glandular tissue can be preserved:
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Much less often, the described developmental pathology manifests itself as an additional nipple, which is formed along or outside the milk line.
For convenience, accessory mammary glands are classified. This takes into account factors such as:
There are such types of the described pathology as:
The course of the pathology can be asymptomatic (that is, without any subjective sensations) or proceed with unexpressed clinical symptoms.
The additional mammary gland manifests itself mainly against the background of hormonal changes in the body - both normal and pathological. Often, the first symptoms of pathology occur during breastfeeding. Less often, the pathology manifests itself in adolescent girls during the period. If an additional nipple is formed, then the disease is detected even in newborn girls.
If there is a small amount of additional mammary tissue, and there are no secondary pathological changes (for example, an inflammatory process) on its side, then the additional lobules look like small painless skin seals.
Large additional lobes and full-fledged additional glands have the following characteristics:
Before menstruation and during the period of feeding the child, additional lobes and glands increase in size, swell, in rare cases they can become painful. If the accessory mammary gland has a nipple, breast milk may be released from it during lactation.
The diagnosis is often not difficult - an additional mammary gland is detected during examination and palpation. Certain diagnostic difficulties are observed in cases when the accessory gland is small in size, while it has no or poorly developed nipple. In the latter case, in appearance, it looks like a protruding mole, and the patients do not have a suspicion of the presence of any pathology, and since it is not often observed in the clinic, doctors with little experience may not attach importance to this anatomical formation in patients.
Usually, an accessory mammary gland in any of its manifestations is diagnosed if any pathological processes have arisen in it, manifested by unpleasant subjective sensations, which is why a woman turns to a doctor. Pathology is detected using physical, instrumental and laboratory diagnostic methods.
Physical examination data:
Instrumental diagnostic methods, with the help of which it is possible to confirm the diagnosis of an additional mammary gland, as well as to identify secondary pathological changes in it, are:
From laboratory studies in the diagnosis of this pathology, the following are important:
Differential diagnosis of an accessory mammary gland is carried out with such pathologies as:
From the accessory mammary gland, complications such as:
If the additional mammary gland is quite large, and painful sensations are observed in it, the woman may experience emotional and mental disorders:
Treatment of pathology is exclusively surgical: an additional mammary gland can be removed only by its operative removal. The conventional wisdom about the "effectiveness" of the so-called "absorbable" means is deeply mistaken - they not only will not help get rid of the pathology, but can also lead to negative consequences:
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The conservative method of treatment is very conditional - it consists in monitoring the condition of the additional mammary gland. If changes on her part are not observed for a long time (it does not increase, does not thicken, nothing comes out of the nipple, and so on), then this observation is limited.
Surgical removal of the described formation is recommended in such cases as:
The amount of surgery may vary. It depends on factors such as:
Such types of operations are carried out as:
Pathology is considered congenital, therefore, its prevention is to ensure normal conditions for the development of the fetus. This is a whole range of measures - a pregnant woman should eat right, get enough sleep, perform only feasible loads, be careful not to get injured, and so on.
If an additional mammary gland is already present, then such women should undergo an ultrasound of the rudiment once a year, and after 35 years - it. The tissues of the accessory mammary gland must be protected from various pathological influences - in particular, from mechanical injuries.
The prognosis for an accessory mammary gland is favorable, since it becomes malignant (undergoes malignant transformation) rather rarely. In some cases, with the development of menopause, involution of small accumulations of glandular tissues is observed, and they disappear.
Oksana Vladimirovna Kovtonyuk, medical commentator, surgeon, consultant physician
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An accessory lung (lobe) with normal blood supply is a congenital malformation characterized by the formation of an accessory lung (lobe) along with two normally developed ones. An accessory lung is formed in the embryonic period, when an additional bronchus "buds" from the trachea, and the vessels have a connection with a small circle of blood supply. In cases where the additional bronchus departs from the main or lobar bronchi, they speak of an additional lobe of the lung.
An accessory lung (lobe), as a rule, is detected when bronchological examination carried out for another reason, or at an operation. Cases of the formation of a chronic suppurative process in the accessory lung were noted. Clinical symptoms are due to a secondary inflammatory process, which is the reason for the examination. The diagnosis is established on the basis of bronchoscopy data, in which the mouth of the accessory lung is found in the trachea, or by bronchography, when accessory bronchi are detected
Angiopulmonography allows you to diagnose the branching of the vessels of the accessory lung (lobe).
Treatment operational, with the removal of additional pulmonary formations with the development of a chronic suppurative process in them.
Under the sequestration of the lung, it is customary to understand a kind of malformation in which a pathological section of lung tissue, partially or completely separated in the early stages of embryogenesis, develops independently of the main lung and is supplied with an abnormal artery extending from the aorta or its branches.
There are two types of "sequestration". In the first type (Pryce type), there is no lobar and segmental bronchi, as well as the corresponding branches of the pulmonary artery. In the tissue of the lobe, a delimited cystic mass with agenesis of the respiratory sections is determined, the blood supply of which is carried out by additional arterial vessels emanating from the aorta or its large branches in the chest or abdominal cavity. The most typical localization of this type of defect is the postero-basal segment of the lower lobes. The aberrant vessel is usually located in the thickness of the inferior pulmonary ligament.
A variant of "sequestration" according to Pryce is possible, characterized by the communication of the cystic area with the bronchial tree, which occurs secondarily, due to infection and destruction of hypoplastic tissue ("fistulization of sequestration").
At sequestration, cysts can be single, multiple, or multi-lumenal. The walls contain elements of the bronchi and fibrous tissue. The lining is formed by a cubic, cylindrical epithelium; in some places it may be absent. Content of a mucous or purulent nature. The surrounding lung tissue can be with infiltrative and sclerotic changes, especially in cases where there was a suppurative process in the cyst.
Most authors distinguish two main types of lung sequestration: intralobar (intralobar), when a pathologically formed area of the lung does not have its own pleural leaf, and extralobar (extralobar), when this area is surrounded on all sides by a pleural area and is essentially an additional lobe. Most often, intralobar sequestration is localized in the basal segments of the right lung.
There are reports of extrathoracic localization of the sequestered area of the lung: it can be located in the abdominal cavity, in the thickness of the diaphragm, on the neck, etc., and, like the previous form, has no connection with the vessels of the pulmonary circulation.
In children, this anomaly is more often asymptomatic and is detected during X-ray examination for pneumonia and other causes. With suppuration, intralobar sequestration manifests itself in the form of an acute or chronic purulent process, in some cases with the appearance of a large amount of purulent sputum due to the breakthrough of the contents of the cyst into the bronchus, sometimes hemoptysis is noted.
Physical manifestations of pulmonary sequestration are very scarce and methods percussion and auscultation give information about the presence of an inflammatory process in the lung only with exacerbation of chronic suppuration.
At X-ray examination usually in the region of the basal segments, a single cyst or multiple cysts with pronounced perifocal infiltration is found, or an irregular shading, in the depth of which, with tomography, it is possible to reveal enlightenment. On the bronchogram bronchi in the area of sequestration are deformed or moderately dilated, sometimes pushed aside by cystic formation. Contrasting cysts is extremely rare.
The diagnosis can be established with certainty when aortography, in which you can identify an abnormal vessel extending from the aorta to the area of changes in the lung tissue. The data of this examination, among other things, are very important for the surgeon, who needs to know the localization of the vessels in order to avoid damage to them during the operation.
Treatment surgical sequestration of the lung: remove the lobe containing the sequestered area of the lung tissue. Particular attention is paid to ligation and transection of the abnormal artery, usually running in the pulmonary ligament. This vessel contains many elastic fibers, therefore, when crossed, it is quickly retracted into the mediastinum, which can be accompanied by profuse, life-threatening bleeding.
Differential diagnosis carried out with congenital lung cysts, diaphragmatic hernia, coelomic pericardial cyst, other cysts and tumors of the lower mediastinum, echinococcus, lung tumors.
Bronchogenic (true) cysts are a malformation of the lung associated with impaired embryogenesis of the small bronchus. They arise as a result of the separation (in the process of budding and branching) of small groups of cells, which turn into an isolated non-functioning tissue mass
For a long time, congenital lung cysts have been described as pathological findings (MF Keldysh, 1868; S.S. Preobrazhensky, 1892; H. Meyer, 1859).
For the first time, X-ray description of congenital lung cysts was given by F. Fleeming, H. Muller and others in 1928.
The first successful radical operation on a one-month-old baby was performed in 1943 by the Australian surgeon H. Fischer, who removed the upper and middle lobes of the right lung for a tense cyst.
For the first time in our country F. Kh. Kutushev in 1954 reported about a lobectomy with a favorable outcome in a child of 11 months with a festering cyst of the upper lobe.
Cysts are intrapulmonary parabronchial cavities lined with epithelium from the inside. It should be noted that with a prolonged infectious process, the cyst epithelium may lose its respiratory character, at the same time, the bronchial epithelium may grow into a chronic lung abscess, which will mimic a true cyst. Bronchogenic cysts are usually solitary, the epithelium secretes secretions.
Distinguish between open and closed cysts (draining and non-draining), depending on the presence or absence of communication with the bronchial tree. The size of the cyst sometimes reaches the volume of the hemithorax (giant cysts), while squeezing the surrounding pulmonary parenchyma.
True lung cysts can be asymptomatic until old age (uncomplicated pulmonary cysts). The appearance of complaints in patients is associated with suppuration of the cyst, spontaneous pneumothorax when it ruptures or with a sharp increase in size (complicated pulmonary cysts).
The most common complications of true cysts are suppuration, pneumothorax, and cyst enlargement. Suppuration occurs when infection is lymphogenous or hematogenous and develops without pronounced signs of intoxication, flows more benignly than with an acute lung abscess. When a festering cyst breaks through, a large amount of purulent sputum is released in the bronchus, in the future the volume of sputum is small, hemoptysis may occur. Physical data are determined by the size of the cyst, its location, involvement of adjacent areas of the lung in the process, and other factors.
Another complication is pneumothoracic With which develops as a result of cyst rupture and air penetration into the pleural cavity. In the case of development of the valve mechanism of pneumothorax, air in a significant amount collapses the lung and shifts the mediastinal organs towards the healthy lung - "intrathoracic tension syndrome". This syndrome requires urgent measures, since it is accompanied by severe respiratory failure. In such cases, due to the real threat to the patient's life, urgent measures are carried out without X-ray control and consist in the emergency imposition of pleural drainage, and sometimes needle drainage, in order to remove the effect of the valve mechanism of tension pneumothorax.
The cyst enlargement is based on the following mechanism: under conditions of inflammation of the tissue around the bronchus draining the cyst, due to edema of the bronchial mucosa, hypertrophy of the mucous membrane, blockage of the bronchus with secretions and other reasons, conditions are created that impede the exit of air from the cyst, as a result of which the latter begins to swell and can grow large and lead to progressive respiratory failure. Radiographically, in such cases, a cyst sharply increased in volume is determined, there is no pulmonary pattern in this place, the mediastinal organs are displaced to the healthy side.
The diagnosis of a congenital bronchogenic cyst is established on the basis of X-ray studies. On radiographs, solitary cysts are defined as rounded cavities and, if there is a communication with the respiratory tract, they can be filled with air. If there is no such message, then cysts on chest radiographs look like airless parenchymal formations. Cysts filled with both air and liquid appear as liquid levels with gas bubbles and have a pronounced wall
Treatment- Surgical intervention is the only radical method of treatment of both complicated and uncomplicated congenital lung cysts.
Bychkov V.A., Manzhos P.I., Bachu M., Rafik Kh., Gorodova A.V.
Accessory lung- This is a very rare malformation of the respiratory system, in which, along with two ordinary lungs, there is a small third, which has its own blood supply and in most cases is capable of gas exchange. In early childhood, the anomaly usually does not manifest itself in any way; later, recurrent purulent-inflammatory processes often occur in the accessory organ. Pathology is detected using bronchoscopy and radiation methods for diagnosing respiratory diseases (X-ray, CT). In the presence of pathological changes, the accessory lung is removed surgically.
Q33.1 Additional lobe of the lung
An accessory (extralobar, inferior, mediastinal, abdominal) lung is detected less frequently than in 1 in 100,000 newborns. In terms of frequency of occurrence, the pathology is in 23rd place among all congenital anomalies of the respiratory system. Somewhat more often (by 24%) is observed in males. The true accessory lung is a lobe-divided organ covered by the pleura, aerated by its own, usually tracheal bronchus and having a pulmonary blood supply. More often, anomalies in the development of interlobar gaps are found - additional lobes. Some authors of scientific medical articles also refer to this pathology as the mass of aberrant lung tissue located in the chest or abdominal cavity and not communicating with the tracheobronchial tree - extralobar sequestration.
The laying and formation of the tracheobronchial tree is carried out from 3-4 weeks of embryonic development. During this period of time, the development of primitive airways from the bronchial kidneys occurs. The reasons for the incorrect division of one of them have not yet been studied and are the subject of discussions among specialists in the field of practical pulmonology. It has been suggested that an accessory lung may result from the following harmful effects during pregnancy:
The mechanism of the third lung is not fully understood. A violation of the division of the bronchial kidney with the appearance of an accessory bronchus is assumed. From the surrounding mesenchyme, alveolar tissue, pleura and vessels of the pulmonary circulation develop. Pathological division of the primary intestine sometimes leads to the formation of an aberrant process connecting the accessory lobe or lung with the lower third of the esophagus or stomach. Blood is supplied to such a lung from the branches of the aorta.
The supernumerary lobe appears as a result of improper formation of interlobar grooves, abnormal location of large vessels that separate the area of the aerated parenchyma from the bulk of the lung. Pathomorphologically, the accessory lung is a well-formed, reduced in size organ. It is divided into lobes and has its own pleural cavity. In contrast to the lung, the accessory lobe does not have interlobar grooves. Extralobar sequestration is represented by a cystic altered non-functioning mass of the pulmonary parenchyma covered with pleura. It is not ventilated, its vessels are not connected with the pulmonary circulation.
The location of the accessory pulmonary formation can be tracheal, intrathoracic, and intra-abdominal. In English-language sources, this anomaly is classified according to the relationship of pulmonary aberration with the main airways. A supernumerary lung with bronchi branching from the tracheobronchial tree is distinguished; with the airways connecting the organ with the upper gastrointestinal tract; sequestration of alveolar tissue. In the Russian-language literature, the accessory lung is divided into two groups, depending on the characteristics of the blood supply:
The anomaly can go unnoticed by the patient for a long time and be accidentally detected during bronchological examination for another reason. But usually signs of an inflammatory process in sequestration, the third lung or accessory lobe appear already in early childhood. When the formation is ventilated by the tracheal bronchus, symptoms of bronchial obstruction may occur. The child is worried about a paroxysmal cough, breathing quickens, becomes stridorious. In infants, the nasolabial triangle turns blue during an attack.
Inflammatory processes in the abnormal organ are accompanied by an increase in body temperature to febrile and hyperthermic values, cough with purulent yellow-green sputum, shortness of breath. Moderate cyanosis of the skin is observed. Signs of intoxication are expressed. The patient's appetite decreases, there is weakness, sweating. Without surgical intervention, pneumonia and suppurative processes (lung abscess) acquire a protracted course, often recur.
The attachment of a secondary pathogenic microflora usually provokes the occurrence of recurrent pneumonia and abscesses. The accessory lung becomes a focus of infection, the long-term persistence of which leads to chronic respiratory failure, amyloidosis. Abscesses can be complicated by pulmonary hemorrhage, pleural empyema. Less often, tuberculosis or neoplasm develops in an abnormal area of the lung tissue.
The diagnostic search is carried out by a pulmonologist. There are no pathognomonic signs indicating the presence of a third lung. On examination, in patients with associated inflammation, moderate cyanosis of the skin can be detected. Physical examination for this congenital anomaly is usually uninformative. Additional education is detected using the following diagnostic procedures:
An accessory abdominal lung is extremely rare and is mistaken for a neoplasm at the initial stages of the examination. For the purpose of differential diagnosis in such cases, aortography may be required. The necessary information about the localization, structure, ventilation and blood supply of the accessory organ is obtained using MRI of the chest and abdominal cavities.
In the presence of clinical manifestations, the abnormal lung is subject to surgical removal. The choice of access depends on the location. The tracheal bronchus isolated during the operation is cut off at the level of the trachea, the defect of the tracheal wall is sutured. A thorough hemostasis is provided. In the absence of clinical symptoms, removal of the accessory organ is considered inappropriate. However, some authors believe that the surgical operation can be temporarily postponed, but must be performed later due to the risk of neoprocessing in the abnormal zone.
The prognosis for recovery with timely surgical intervention is favorable. Children who have undergone surgery to remove their third lung develop normally. A patient with a diagnosed accessory organ without clinical manifestations is subject to regular medical supervision. For the primary prevention of various fetal anomalies, pregnant women are advised to give up bad habits, avoid contact with infectious patients, and take medications strictly as prescribed by a doctor.
Ectopic placement of mammary tissues in the form of a separate lobule, lobe or full complementary breast. It is manifested by the presence of a volumetric elastic formation of various sizes without a nipple or with a nipple, which before menstruation and during lactation can increase in size and become denser, which in some cases is accompanied by painful sensations. Diagnosis is made by mammography, ultrasound, MRI, CT, and accessory gland biopsy. Follow-up is usually recommended for the patient. Treatment can only be surgical. The elements of the abnormality are excised, in the case of a pseudoplastic gland, liposuction is performed.
Q83.1
The presence of an accessory milk lobule or gland is a relatively uncommon congenital developmental anomaly... Such rudimentary formations can be located both along the milk lines - the natural sites of the embryonic mammary tissue, which normally involutions as the embryo develops, and on other parts of the body (in the axillary region, on the back, thigh). Pathology is usually diagnosed in women of reproductive age. Less often, the disease is determined with dyshormonal processes or the appearance of additional neoplasms in the gland. In girls before menarche, the anomaly is detected only in the presence of visually noticeable additional nipples.
Today there is no single theory explaining the presence of mammary glands in atypical places. According to experts in the field mammology, congenital pathology occurs due to impaired embryogenesis caused by existing and acquired genetic defects. The key factors leading to the ectopic development of mammary tissue are:
The key prerequisite for the clinical manifestation of a developmental defect, as a rule, is hormonal changes in the body. Usually, the first symptoms of the disease occur during breastfeeding. Somewhat less often, pathology makes its debut in adolescents at the stage of puberty.
The mechanism of formation of an accessory breast is based on a violation of the reverse development of its embryonic rudiments. The mammary glands are laid by the 6th week due to the ingrowth of epithelial cords originating from the cutaneous ectoderm into the mesenchyme. Typically, mammary tissues are located along the ventrolateral milk lines that run from the axillary to the groin. However, under the influence of mutagens, ectopic anlages are possible. During normal embryogenesis, atypically placed rudimentary elements undergo a reverse development, by 10 weeks only a pair of glands remain on the anterior surface of the chest. If involution fails, additional glandular tissue can persist in the axillary and subclavian regions, between the normal mammary glands or shoulder blades, in the genital area. Very rarely, the developmental anomaly is manifested by the presence of an additional nipple along or outside the milk line. After the birth of a girl, further development of additional glands is regulated by estrogen, progestins, prolactin.
The variant of abnormal development of the mammary glands in an atypical area is determined taking into account the identified anatomical and histological elements of the accessory organ. In this case, the volume and ratio of glandular and adipose tissue, the presence or absence of the nipple, areola, and lactiferous duct are assessed. Specialists distinguish between the following types of congenital pathology:
In the presence of an additional nipple, the disease is diagnosed even in newborn girls. If the anomaly manifests itself as an accumulation of glandular tissue in the form of a lobe or lobule without a nipple, it is usually asymptomatic for a long time. With their small size and the absence of secondary pathological changes, the additional lobules look like small painless skin seals. Large glands and lobes look like volumetric convex formations, elastic to the touch. Before menstruation and during the period of feeding the child, they increase in size, swell, sometimes become painful. If the gland has a nipple, milk may be released from it during lactation.
The presence of an accessory breast or its lobule in a woman creates psychological and aesthetic discomfort rather than a threat to health and life. As with normal breasts, abnormal lumps may develop lactostasis , mastitis and different options mastopathy... The risk of developing benign neoplasms increases when the accessory gland is regularly injured by clothing or bra bones (with ectopic axillary localization). Specialists have recorded isolated cases of malignant degeneration of abnormally located tissues. With intense pain syndrome and a significant cosmetic defect, a woman may experience emotional and mental disorders(tearfulness, touchiness, anxiety, hypochondria , depression).
The diagnosis presents certain difficulties only in those cases when the accessory gland has no or poorly developed nipple (in appearance it resembles a protruding mole). Usually, diagnostics is performed when there is a suspicion of the occurrence of other pathological processes in the accessory gland. In doubtful cases, the following examination methods are recommended:
The disease is differentiated from cysts , lipomas, pathology of axillary lymph nodes, with localization near the main mammary glands - with a tumor process. For examination, if necessary, involve onkomammologist , surgeon , endocrinologist, hematologist.
There are no conservative methods of therapy for this anomaly in the development of the mammary glands. If additional education is not accompanied by discomfort and is not subject to regular trauma, observation is recommended mammologist with screening appropriate for the woman's age. With a pronounced cosmetic defect, intense pain syndrome, identification of additional formations in the gland, hereditary burden of oncopathology, the anomaly is removed surgically. Depending on the volume and structure of education, such surgical interventions are recommended as:
The prognosis is favorable. The accessory mammary gland is very rarely malignant, in most cases the anomaly is asymptomatic. Small glandular formations can undergo involution when a woman reaches menopause. After the operation, the disease recurs only with incomplete removal of the lobule or gland. Since the pathology is considered congenital, prevention is aimed at preventing possible complications. Women with an abnormal mammary gland need to undergo an ultrasound scan of the rudiment once a year, and after 35 years - its mammography. The tissue of the formation should be protected from injury.
