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Assessment of Breast Asymmetry in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Using an Automated 3D Body Surface Measurement Technique

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Abstract

Study design

Cohort study.

Objectives

To assess breast asymmetry (BA) directly with 3D surface imaging and to validate it using MRI values from a cohort of 30 patients with significant adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Also, to study the influence of posture (prone vs standing) on BA using the automated method on both modalities.

Summary of background data

BA is a common concern in young female patients with AIS. In a previous study using MRI, we found that the majority of patients with significant AIS experienced BA of up to 21% in addition to their chest wall deformity. MRI is costly and not always readily available. 3D surface topography, which offers fast and reliable breast acquisitions without radiation or distortion of the body surface, is an alternative method in the clinical setting.

Methods

Thirty patients with AIS were enrolled in the study on the basis of their thoracic curvature, skeletal and breast maturity, without regard to their perception of their BA. Each patient underwent two imaging studies of their torso: a 3D trunk surface topography and a breast MRI. An automated breast volume measuring method was proposed using a program developed with Matlab programming.

Results

Strong correlations were obtained when comparing the proposed method to the MRI on the left breast volumes (LBV) (r = 0.747), the right breast volumes (RBV) (r = 0.805) and the BA (r = 0.614). Using the same method on both imaging modalities also yielded strong correlation coefficients on the LBV (r = 0.896), the RBV (r = 0.939) and the BA (r = 0.709).

Conclusions

The proposed 3D body surface automated measurement technique is feasible clinically and correlates very well with breast volumes measured using MRI. Additionally, breast volumes remain comparable despite being measured in different body positions (standing and prone) in a young cohort of AIS patients.

Level of Evidence

Level IV.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Orthopedics, Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center, 3175, Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, Quebec, H3T 1C5, Canada

    Joyce Ramsay MD, MSc, BSc, PT, Soraya Barchi BSc, Farida Cheriet PhD, Julie Joncas RN, BSc, Isabelle Turgeon BSc, Philippe Debanné MASc, Hubert Labelle MD & Stefan Parent MD, PhD

  2. Faculty of Medecine, University of Montreal, 2900 Edouard-Montpetit Boulevard, Montreal, Quebec, H3T 1J4, Canada

    Joyce Ramsay MD, MSc, BSc, PT & Stefan Parent MD, PhD

  3. Polytechnique Montreal, 2500 Chemin de Polytechnique, Montreal, Quebec, H3T 1J4, Canada

    Lama Seoud PhD, Farida Cheriet PhD & Philippe Debanné MASc

  4. Hôtel-Dieu University of Montreal Hospital Center, 3840 Saint Urbain Street, Montreal, Quebec, H2W 1T8, Canada

    Isabelle Trop MD, MPH

Authors
  1. Joyce Ramsay MD, MSc, BSc, PT
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  2. Lama Seoud PhD
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  3. Soraya Barchi BSc
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  4. Farida Cheriet PhD
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  5. Julie Joncas RN, BSc
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  6. Isabelle Turgeon BSc
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  7. Philippe Debanné MASc
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  8. Isabelle Trop MD, MPH
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  9. Hubert Labelle MD
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  10. Stefan Parent MD, PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stefan Parent MD, PhD.

Additional information

Author disclosures

JR (none); LS (none); SB (none); FC (none); JJ (none); IT (none); PD (none); ITr (none); HL (grants from Canadian Institutes of Health Research, during the conduct of the study); SP (grants from Academic Research Chair on Pediatric Spinal Deformities of CHU Ste-Justine, during the conduct of the study; grants from Canadian Institutes of Health Research [CIHR], Orthopedic Research and Education Foundation [OREF], Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada [NSERC], Fonds de Recherche Québec–Santé, and Setting Scoliosis Straight Foundation; personal fees and non-financial support from Medtronic, DePuy Synthes Spine, and EOS-Imaging; non-financial support and other from Spinologics, outside the submitted work).

Funding sources

Academic Research Chair in Pediatric Spinal Deformities of CHU-Sainte-Justine and Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

IRB approval/Research Ethics Committee: Sainte-Justine University Hospital Ethics Committee approval # 3532 and University of Montreal Hospital Center Ethics Committee approval # 12.143.

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Ramsay, J., Seoud, L., Barchi, S. et al. Assessment of Breast Asymmetry in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Using an Automated 3D Body Surface Measurement Technique. Spine Deform 5, 152–158 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspd.2017.01.001

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspd.2017.01.001

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