A structured-light surface scanning system to evaluate breast morphology in standing and supine positions

Objective and accurate surface measurements of the human breast are important for surgical planning and outcome assessment. Breast shapes are affected by gravitational loads and deformities, and the measurements obtained in the standing position may not correlate well with measurements in supine position, which is more representative of breast surgery. To evaluate the effect of changes in body posture on breast morphology, a dual color 3D surface imaging system capable of scanning patients in both the supine and standing positions was developed. System performance was established by assessing the surface coverage and accuracy between a CAD breast model and 3D surface scans of a 3D print of the CAD model. The modular nature of the system offers the potential to add additional surface scanners with unique colors to increase coverage without sacrificing speed. The human pilot study shows that the system can quantitatively evaluate the effect of subject postures in individuals with smaller breasts, and thereby has the potential to be used to investigate changes in breast morphologies