title: Accessory breasts: a historical and current perspective.
abstract: The presence of accessory breast tissue such as extra nipples (polythelia) and extra breast (polymastia) is relatively common, with a high incidence of being misdiagnosed in clinical medicine. Although polythelia is congenital in origin and is identifiable at childhood, polymastia may not be evident until the influence of sex hormones during puberty. In this article, we present a review of the literature concerning the historical background of accessory breasts, their incidence, their misdiagnoses, and their association with other syndromes and diseases. Finally, we present the common treatment options available today for such conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George's University, School of Medicine, True Blue Campus, Grenada, West Indies.
authors.forename: Marios
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Loukas
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: R Shane
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Tubbs
mesh_terms: D001940:Breast / Q000002:abnormalities*; D002828:Choristoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history* / Q000601:surgery; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male