Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jun;100(6):313-319.
doi: 10.4174/astr.2021.100.6.313. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Mammography with a fully automated breast volumetric software as a novel method for estimating the preoperative breast volume prior to mastectomy

Jin Sung Kim  1 , Kyoungkyg Bae  2 , Eun Ji Lee  1 , Minseo Bang  2
Affiliations

Mammography with a fully automated breast volumetric software as a novel method for estimating the preoperative breast volume prior to mastectomy

Jin Sung Kim et al. Ann Surg Treat Res. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: Increasing interest in maintaining a positive body image following breast cancer surgery has become an important aspect of reconstruction surgery. Volume matching of the reconstructed breast to natural breasts is the most important consideration. This study aimed to explore the feasibility of using mammography with a fully automated breast volumetric software to measure the preoperative breast volume in patients with breast cancer.

Methods: We evaluated patients who underwent a total mastectomy between July 2016 and February 2021. The specimen volume following total mastectomy was compared with breast volume estimates using a fully automated volumetric software (Quantra ver. 2.1.1) and 4 other previously described mammography-based prediction methods. The association between the estimates and mastectomy specimen volume was assessed using Pearson correlation and Bland-Altman analysis.

Results: Sixty-six patients were included. Compared with previously described mammography-based methods, Quantra estimates were more strongly correlated with mastectomy specimen volume in the entire, fatty, and dense breast groups (r = 0.920, 0.921, and 0.915, respectively; P < 0.001). In applying Quantra estimates for measuring preoperative breast volume, we adjusted a simple equation: mastectomy specimen volume = Quantra estimate × 0.8.

Conclusion: Mammography with a fully automated breast volumetric software can be useful for measuring preoperative breast volume in patients with breast cancer who undergo reconstruction surgery.

Keywords: Breast density; Breast neoplasms; Mammography; Mastectomy; Organ size; Software.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Quantra processing.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Sample mammography measurements in a 51-year-old woman with invasive ductal carcinoma. (A) Craniocaudal view shows representations of measurements. W = medial to lateral width, R = W/2, H = posterior to anterior height, perpendicular from the posterior film edge to the most anterior portion of the breast. (B) Mediolateral oblique view shows representations of measurements. w = superolateral to inferomedial width, measured as a distance from the most acute portion of axillary concavity to the inframammary fold; r = w/2; h = posterior to anterior height, perpendicular to the pectoralis muscle from the anterior border of the muscle to the most anterior portion of the breast.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Bland-Altman plot showing difference in adjusted Quantra estimates and mastectomy specimen volume. (A) Entire breast group, (B) fatty breast group, and (C) dense breast group.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4. Sample image for Quantra-based estimation of preoperative breast volume. A 57-year-old woman with invasive ductal carcinoma of the right breast underwent a total mastectomy. (A) Preoperatively, the patient underwent routine mammography with fully automated breast volumetric software (Quantra). (B) The Quantra- and adjusted Quantra-based breast volume was 571 cm3 and 456.8 cm3, respectively. After total mastectomy, the weight of the actual mastectomy specimen was 460 g, and the converted specimen volume was 447.2 cm3.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Utsunomiya H, Kusano T, Sato N, Yoshimoto S. Estimating implant volume and mastectomy-specimen volume by measuring breast volume with a 3-dimensional scanner. Ann Plast Surg. 2017;79:79–81. - PubMed
    1. Choppin SB, Wheat JS, Gee M, Goyal A. The accuracy of breast volume measurement methods: a systematic review. Breast. 2016;28:121–129. - PubMed
    1. Kayar R, Civelek S, Cobanoglu M, Gungor O, Catal H, Emiroglu M. Five methods of breast volume measurement: a comparative study of measurements of specimen volume in 30 mastectomy cases. . Breast Cancer (Auckl) 2011;5:43–52. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kovacs L, Eder M, Hol lweck R, Zimmermann A, Settles M, Schneider A, et al. Comparison between breast volume measurement using 3D surface imaging and classical techniques. Breast. 2007;16:137–145. - PubMed
    1. Yip JM, Mouratova N, Jeffery RM, Veitch DE, Woodman RJ, Dean NR. Accurate assessment of breast volume: a study comparing the volumetric gold standard (direct water displacement measurement of mastectomy specimen) with a 3D laser scanning technique. Ann Plast Surg. 2012;68:135–141. - PubMed