Unilateral gestational macromastia--a rare disorder

Abstract

Macromastia is the massive enlargement of the breast, unilateral or bilateral, disproportionate to the growth of the rest of the body. It is called gravid macromastia or gigantomastia of pregnancy when it occurs during pregnancy. It may or may not regress following parturition. Gestational macromastia is exceptionally rare. We report a 28-year-old female with gigantomastia of the left breast. She presented at four months post-partum with painful massive enlargement of the left breast since the third month of pregnancy. The overlying skin was stretched out and showed multiple ulcers with foul smelling discharge. The nipple and areola were unremarkable. Simple mastectomy was done, as fine needle aspiration cytology was suggestive of phylloides tumour. The breast specimen measured 30 x 30 x 9 cm and was replaced totally by grey-white tissue involving all the resection margins. No normal breast tissue or fat was identified. Histopathology showed periductal as well as diffuse fibrosis, adenosis and lactational changes. No features of phylloides tumour or carcinoma were present and it was diagnosed as unilateral gestational macromastia.