Quantitative Analysis of Localized Changes in Breast Shape

Abstract

Breast reconstruction surgery is an integral part of breast cancer treatment for many patients and has been shown to positively influence patients' psychosocial adjustment and quality of life. Threedimensional (3D) visualization and quantification of the breast for different types of reconstruction procedures during the reconstruction process can allow for a better understanding of the changes in breast shape. The reconstruction process, which involves multiple procedures, can take as long as 18-24 months, and the breasts can change shape throughout this period. In this study, we present a novel approach for monitoring and quantifying changes in breast shape using 3D surface images of the torso in conjunction with surface normal measurements. The results of this study can help provide information to physicians and patients about the dynamic changes in breast morphology occurring at different stages of the reconstruction process. Additionally, this information may assist in pre-treatment surgical planning and training. In our approach, we compare the surface normal values of different regions of the breasts at different time-points using the Bhattacharyya distance, which measures histogram similarity. Results are shown for 17 patients who underwent autologous reconstruction, 14 patients who underwent implant-based reconstruction, and one patient who underwent a mixed reconstruction. Using the proposed method, we were able to evaluate changes in the 3D surface images of reconstructed breasts relative to the 3D images of preoperative breasts.

Potential of 3D Surface Imaging for Quantitative Analysis of Fat Grafting

“…Following alignment, Gaussian curvature, the shape index, and the surface orientation [8] were computed for each vertex in the cropped images. To evaluate any changes in breast shape occurring due to the fat grafting procedure, difference images were created based on the computed values of curvature, shape index and surface orientation.…”