ACCESSORY MAMMARY TISSUE ASSOCIATED WITH CONGENITAL AND HEREDITARY NEPHROURINARY MALFORMATIONS

Background and Objectives, The association between polythelia (supernu merary nipple) and kidney and urinary tract malformations (KUTM) is co ntroversial. Some authors reported this association in newborns and in fants. Case-control studies dealing with adult subjects are not found in the literature. The purpose of this study is to determine the frequ ency of the association between accessory mammary tissue (AMT) and con genital and hereditary nephrourinary defects in an adult population co mpared to a control group. Methods. The study was performed in 146 whi te patients (123 men, 23 women) with AMT out of 2645 subjects consecut ively referred to us for physical examination. The following investiga tions were undertaken: ultrasonographic examination of the abdomen and the kidneys, EGG, echocardiogram, roentgenogram of the vertebral colu mn, urinalysis, and other laboratory tests. A sex- and age-matched con trol group without any evidence of AMT or lateral displacement of the nipples underwent the same examinations. Results. Kidney and urinary t ract malformations were detected in 11 patients with ATM (nine men, tw o women) and in one control. These data indicate a significantly highe r frequency of KUTM in the AMT-affected patients compared to controls (7.53% vs. 0.68%, P < 0.001). A broad spectrum of KUTM was discovered in association with AMT: adult dominant polycystic kidney disease, uni lateral renal agenesis, cystic renal dysplasia, familial renal cysts, and congenital stenosis of the pyeloureteral joint, Conclusion. Access ory mammary tissue offers an important clue for congenital and heredit ary anomalies of the kidneys and urinary collecting systems. Patients with AMT should, therefore, be extensively examined for the presence o f occult nephrouropathies.