Accuracy of Three Software Applications for Breast Volume Calculations from Three-Dimensional Surface Images

Background: Knowing breast volumes before certain surgeries helps the surgeon to obtain breast symmetry. Calculating breast volumes from three-dimensional surface images is possible with specialized software applications. However, limited data exist concerning the accuracy of such volume calculations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of breast volume calculations performed with the 3D BreAST, 3dMD Vultus, and VECTRA software applications. Methods: Twenty-six subjects who underwent 44 mastectomies were enrolled. Preoperative three-dimensional surface images were acquired with a VECTRA-XT stereophotogrammetry device. Breast volumes were calculated from these images with the three software applications. The mastectomy specimens were weighed to derive their actual volume and compared with the software calculations. Results: For all three methods, a positive correlation between the breast volume and absolute calculation error was found (p < 0.001), but not for the errors as a percentage of the breast volume (p = 0.17, p = 0.80, and p = 0.42). The 3D BreAST, 3dMD Vultus, and VECTRA applications provided mean volume calculation errors of 21, 186, and -32 ml (p = 0.27, p < 0.001, and p = 0.14) or 2 +/- 25, 48 +/- 26, and -6 +/- 27 percent of the breast volume (p = 0.67, p < 0.001, and p = 0.16), respectively. Conclusions: Despite that two applications calculated accurate mean breast volumes, all applications showed a high standard deviation in terms of the percentage of the breast volume. Therefore, the usefulness of absolute breast volume calculations from three-dimensional surface images seems limited.