title: Lactational ectopic breast tissue of the vulva: case report and brief historical review.
abstract: Ectopic breast tissue is defined as glands of breast tissue located outside of the normal anatomic breasts. Historically, ectopic breast tissue has been thought to arise from a remnant of the embryonic mammary ridge along the "milk line" or the midaxillary line from the axilla to the groin, including the vulvar region. Extramammary tissue displays the same pathologic and physiologic changes as normal breast tissue and is often discovered in multiparous women as the result of swelling from lactational activity. We present a case report of a gravid patient with lactating vulvar mass and a brief historical perspective of vulvar ectopic breast tissue.
authors.affiliation: Vidant Medical Center and Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27834, USA. piehholderk@ecu.edu
authors.forename: Kelly L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Pieh-Holder
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001940:Breast; D002828:Choristoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation; D042361:Mammary Glands, Human; D014844:Vulva / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000473:pathology*