A new method for assessing symmetry of breast

Objective To compare a novel mirror-overlap method with the traditional manual measurement and the subjective assessment in assessing breast symmetry after oncoplastic surgery. Methods 59 patients with breast cancer who underwent conservation/reconstruction surgery were recruited. The post-operative assessment for breast symmetry was conducted using manual measurement, subjective assessment by the patient, their family member and a nurse, and the mirror-overlap method respectively. The latter method involved using the Photoshop to assess the area differences in breast outlines and shadows created by a flashlight when bilateral images were overlapped in the axis of midline. Results The distance differences between bilateral breasts measured using manual method were negatively correlated with symmetric coefficients in the mirror-overlap method (P<0.05) . There was a positive correlation between the average scores in the subjective assessment and symmetric coefficients of mirror-overlap method (P<0.05) . Conclusion The mirror-overlap method is an easy, feasible and cheap method which collects 3D breast information and provides an effective approach to assess breast symmetry after oncoplastic surgery.