Poland Syndrome: A Case of a Left Handed Infant

A nine month old presents with left handed preference strong enough that his mother notices. Knowing that nine months is early for hand preference, further evaluation demonstrates asymmetry of his chest wall. The child is soon diagnosed with Poland Syndrome, a rare disorder thought likely secondary to a vascular insult in utero with a wide spectrum of chest wall, breast and upper extremity clinical manifestations. Being familiar with the normal developmental trajectories of handedness in infancy should alert a physician that preference this early is due to a weakness on the contralateral side. In this case, that knowledge allowed for diagnosis of Poland Syndrome earlier than is reported in the literature.