title: Anthropometry of the breast region: how to measure?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast region measurements are important for research, but they may also become significant in the legal field as a quantitative tool for preoperative and postoperative evaluation. Direct anthropometric measurements can be taken in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to compare direct breast anthropometric measurements taken with a tape measure and a compass.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty women, aged 18-60 years, were evaluated. They had 14 anatomical landmarks marked on the breast region and arms. The union of these points formed eight linear segments and one angle for each side of the body. The volunteers were evaluated by direct anthropometry in a standardized way, using a tape measure and a compass.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Differences were found between the tape measure and the compass measurements for all segments analyzed (p>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measurements obtained by tape measure and compass are not identical. Therefore, once the measurement tool is chosen, it should be used for the pre- and postoperative measurements in a standardized way.
  
  
  METHODS
  This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
authors.affiliation: Plastic Surgery Division, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Napoleão de Barros, 715, 4° andar, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP, 04023-002, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Quieregatto
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hochman
authors.forename: Soraia F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.forename: Fabianne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Furtado
authors.forename: Richard E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Liebano
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sabino Neto
authors.forename: Lydia M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D059925:Anatomic Landmarks; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D001940:Breast / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014894:Weights and Measures; D055815:Young Adult