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Key Points
- Breast Sculptor Surgical modeling software provides visual comparison in 3D of different implant scenarios to help guide implant selection.
MONTCLAIR, NJ – Three-dimensional breast imaging is an asset to surgeons for breast augmentation, reduction and reconstruction, say experts. "Two-dimensional imaging systems allow us to see and simulate some changes, but 3D actually let's us predict what we can achieve with surgery in real time," says Allen Rosen, M.D., medical director of The Plastic Surgery Group, Montclair, New Jersey, and assistant clinical professor in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ).
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Dr. Rosen
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DECISION TOOL Dr. Rosen utilizes Canfield Scientific Inc.'s Breast Sculptor Surgical modeling software with its VECTRA 3D camera. He says the system, which is programmed with data from a series of real patients, essentially enables him to perform "virtual surgery" ahead of time in his office with the patient present. The software application provides a visual comparison in 3D of different implant scenarios to help guide the implant selection. Dr. Rosen electronically "selects" a saline or gel implant from the complete catalogues of two major suppliers, and the result is instantly displayed on the system's screen. "It was specifically developed to allow the surgeon to present a realistic expectation of outcomes and to communicate with the patient during the initial consultation," Dr. Rosen tells
Cosmetic Surgery Times
. "We can change out implant sizes, widths, projections. It helps patients decide what's right for them, and is particularly helpful in cases where the fit isn't easy or standard."
CASE REPORT Dr. Rosen describes his use of the Breast Sculptor 3D imaging system in the case of complex breast asymmetry associated with severe chest wall deformity. "Although minor to moderate breast asymmetries are typical and can be seen in a large portion of the general population, severe breast asymmetries associated with congenital deformities of the breasts are less common and require expertise in reconstructive techniques to achieve reasonable symmetry," explains Dr. Rosen. "Underlying chest wall asymmetries are also common, but often times they are masked by the overlying breast and soft tissues. Deformities such as pectus excavatum, pectus carinatum and other chest wall asymmetries can be camouflaged with breast augmentation," he adds.
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That was the case in the instance of a 23-year-old female who presented with a severe chest wall asymmetry characterized by a prominent serpentine ridge arising out of the right anterior thorax along the costochondral and costal sternal junction. This resulted in a prominence of the right chest in deference to her concavity on the left. She presented complaining of breast asymmetry and desired options for correction. The 3D imager allowed for a virtual selection of several different implant types pre-operatively. "The Breast Sculptor software was an invaluable tool in pre-operative planning," states Dr. Rosen, "Digital implant selection helped in choosing the size, shape, position and projection of the final implant used at the time of surgery."
