Evaluation of the simulation effectiveness of prosthetic breast augmentation with Vectra 3D system

Objective To evaluate the accuracy of the simulation with a 3D stereophotogrammetric imaging system(Vectra) for the prosthetic breast augmentation. Methods From July 2014 to December 2015, 32 patients received Vectra scanning prior to breast augmentation. The simulations of post-operation images were created by the software.The distance of SN-N line, N-N line and the volume of the simulated breast was measured by the software. The patients came back for a follow-up 1-6 months post-operation. At that time, the same type of data was collected again, and the difference of simulated and real post-operation breast was calculated. 18 professional doctors scored the accuracy of the simulation using a 1-10 scale. We defined 6-10 asof great accuracy. The scores were analyzed using the independent-sample t test. Results The simulated distance of SN-N line(L/R), N-N line(L/R) and the volume(L/R) was (19.3±1.4) cm/(19.3±1.2) cm、(19.0±1.5) cm and (369.0±64.5) ml/(370.0±82.7) ml. The real distance of SN-N line(L/R), N-N line(L/R) and the volume(L/R) was (19.0±1.3) cm /(19.0±1.2) cm、(18.4±1.3) cm and (365.6±81.0) ml/(360.2±84.2) ml. Those data of simulating and real post-operation breast was statistically insignificant (P>0.05). The score of the simulation accuracy by 18 professional doctors was 7.9±1.4, which means the doctors agreed the accuracy of Vectra for the breast augment simulation was great. Conclusions The Vectra can simulate the figure of breast augmentation with good accuracy. Key words: Imaging, three-dimensional; Breast implant; Augmentation mammoplasty; Simulation