Background: Breast asymmetries and scoliosis influence the results of augmentation mammaplasty. Although a variety of methods have been proposed to resolve breast asymmetries, to date, no simple preoperative algorithm has been proposed for predicting the breast volume and decreasing breast asymmetries in the place of subjective or expensive evaluation. The relationship between the scoliosis and breast volume asymmetry was further analyzed statistically in this study.
Methods: The study enrolled 60 scoliotic patients from 780 patients undergoing augmentation mammaplasty between January 2000 and March 2008. The average follow-up period was 2 years. The inclusion criteria required hypoplastic breasts, a difference in bilateral breast volumes greater than 20 ml, and scoliosis with a Cobb angle greater than 10 degrees . The authors' surgical algorithm demonstrated an anthropomorphic equation for predicting breast volume and selecting the correct implant size.
Results: Pearson regression analysis showed that the breast volume asymmetry difference was significantly correlated with the severity of scoliosis (Cobb angle) (correlation coefficient, 0.901). No correlation between the difference in pre- and postoperative nipple and inframammary levels and the severity of scoliosis was noted. Augmentation mammaplasty significantly decreased the breast asymmetry differences (volume and nipple level) (p < 0.001). The average preoperative estimated breast volume was 45.3 ml for the smaller breast and 88.4 ml for the larger breast.
Conclusion: This study found that the severity of scoliosis showed significant correlation with the breast volume asymmetry differences. Augmentation mammaplasty for breast asymmetries decreased not only the volume difference but also the difference in nipple levels.