Breast anthropometry in Vietnamese youth: a comprehensive study of 128 women

Abstract

BackgroundBreast anthropometry research, evaluating the correlation between various breast anthropometric values with each other, is of great importance to the field of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. The research aims to describe the anthropometric features of the breasts of young Vietnamese women and compare them with other women’s groups worldwide.MethodsThe study was conducted on 128 nulliparous Vietnamese women, aged 18–25, with body mass index within the range of 18.5–25 kg/m2. Nineteen research indexes were divided into 3 groups: group 1 (general anthropometric indexes—3 indexes), group 2 (indexes related to the chest and breast—7 indexes), and group 3 (purely breast indexes—9 indexes). The breast volume was calculated according to the formula of author Qiao1: V = 3.14/3 * MP2 * (LR + MR + IR − MP) (ml).ResultsThe mean age was 18.6 ± 6, and the mean BMI was 21 ± 1.6 kg/m2. The mean breast volumes on the right and left were 437.1 ± 266.8 ml and 457 ± 259.7 ml, respectively. The left breast volume was significantly larger than the right. The mean areola diameter was 3.4 ± 0.6 cm. There was a strong correlation (r > 0.5) between breast volume and 8 indexes: breast projection, medial mammary radius, nipple-inframammary fold length, lateral mammary radius, right suprasternal notch-to-nipple distance, chest circumference through the nipple, breast base width, and mid-clavicular point-to-nipple distance. There was no correlation between height and breast volume.ConclusionsThis study contributes valuable data to the breast anthropometry database of young, nulliparous Vietnamese women, which could be effectively applied in cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery in addition to existing literature.Level of Evidence: Level III, Diagnostic; Risk/Prognostic.