Reliability Of A Photogrammetric Determination Of The Breast-Thorax Boundary

The study of the human female breast for the presence of neoplastic lesions has been the major focus of our research. Close-range stereogrammetry has been used to produce digital as well as graphic representations (contour maps) of the breast under examination. Previous study of these maps has been used to evaluate single contours for the presence of aberrations (deviations from the convex hull) and to correlate these with clinically documented masses. The purpose of this paper is to report, in part, the development of a measurement strategy to quantify breast volume and volume distribution comparisons within our subject pool. More specifically, the data acquisition techniques and algorithms employed in defining the boundary between the breast and thorax of the subject are described. Special emphasis has been placed on the determination of validity and reliability of the boundary placement by the stereoplotter technicians. In addition, the application of this measurement process to documentation of the presence or absence of total volume and volume distribution differences existing in normal breasts and those containing benign or malignant lesions are discussed.