Is breast asymmetry caused by volume differences in women with pectus excavatum?

Abstract

This study determined the breast volumes of female patients with pectus excavatum that led to asymmetry and hypoplasia compared with normal women. This retrospective study enrolled 13 patients diagnosed with pectus excavatum and 13 normal women, randomly selected from a healthcare centre (n=26), between January 2012 and December 2014. We measured breast volumes (n=52) based on chest computed tomography (CT) of all patients using Image J software and divided them into four groups according to the side and presence of pectus excavatum. The mean volumes of the right and left breasts of patients with pectus excavatum were 209±64mL and 218±67mL, respectively, with no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.736). The mean volumes of the right and left breasts of normal women were 415±197mL and 439±197mL, respectively, with no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.754). The breasts of patients with pectus excavatum were significantly smaller than those of normal women (P<0.001). Both breasts of patients with pectus excavatum were similar in size but were smaller than the breasts of normal women. Skeletal correction for breast asymmetry correction, followed by breast augmentation for breast hypoplasty correction, with a one- or two-step approach may be useful to improve the aesthetics of breast deformities in women with pectus excavatum.