Pectoralis Major Muscle 3D Volumetric Reconstruction in the Tuberous Breast: Anatomical and Radiomics Differences With Potential Surgical Impact.

Abstract

Background: Tuberous breast (TB) is a congenital anomaly characterised by morphological, structural and breast region alterations. The pectoralis major muscle (PMM) is crucial for correction when using breast implants, alterations at this level have received little attention in the literature.

Objectives: This study aims to define the anatomical characteristics of the PMM in TB patients using radiomic data extracted from MRI sequences.

Methods: The PMM of 30 TB patients and 30 controls were analyzed by manual segmentation using 3D-Slicer v.5.4.0 software using radiomic techniques. A total of 46 features were extracted, both first-order statistical features and shape features (e.g. median, mean, standard deviation, volume, area, centroid, number of voxels, flatness, roundness, elongation, principal axis length x, y, z, diameter).

Results: A statistically significant difference was found in favor of the TB group for PMM roundness; PMM elongation was greater in the TB group. Principal axis 1, 2, and 3 were analyzed in the three planes x, y and z: in the TB group, principal x axis 3 was lower than in the control group. Also between the axes, principal z axis 2 is on average higher in the TB group than in the NON-TB group.

Conclusions: These results provide the first quantitative evidence of alterations affecting the PMM in TB patients. These differences were found in different planes and volumetric shape features with potential surgical implications.