Morphometric Study of the Breast in Nulliparous Nigerian Females at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The breast, also known as the mammary gland, is an essential aesthetic feature in a woman. Anthropometric breast measurements are vital for research and in reconstructive surgery as a quantitative tool for preoperative and postoperative evaluation. Aim: This study aimed to measure morphometric parameters of the breast of nulliparous Nigerian females to establish reference baseline data for the region. Methodology: In this prospective descriptive and analytical study, 66 female students from the University of Port-Harcourt in Rivers State, Nigeria, ranging in age from 16 to 30, were used. Various morphometric parameters were observed and measured using measuring tape, a metre rule, and skin markers in a standing position. Descriptive and inferential analysis of data was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Results: Most of the mean values of the measured anthropometric parameters of the left breast were higher than the right but displayed no significant difference except the nipple and mammary projections, which showed a significant difference between the right and left breasts. This study on the morphometry of the female breast revealed the slender and severe ptosis shapes as the most prevalent breast shapes, while the least prevalent were the bell and pseudoptosis breast shapes. The mammary size volume showed the left breast to be significantly bigger than the right, while of all the breast parameters analysed, the nipple projection (left) and mammary projection (right) displayed significant differences in this study, with all the right and left measured breast parameters indicating a positive correlation. Conclusion: The values from this study can be used as a guide by plastic surgeons providing services to females of African descent requiring aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgeries, as well as in physical anthropological studies and racial identification.