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CC BY-NC 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2019; 46(04): 386-389
DOI: 10.5999/aps.2019.00346
Idea and Innovation

Finite element analysis of long-term changes of the breast after augmentation mammoplasty: Implications for implant design

Yujin Myung   
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Ajou University Medical Center, Ajou University College of Medicine, Suwon, Korea
,
Jong-Gu Lee   
Smart Structures and Design Lab, School of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
,
Maenghyo Cho 
Smart Structures and Design Lab, School of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
,
Chan Yeong Heo 
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam, Korea
› Author AffiliationsThis research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Education (2016R1A6A3A11934330).
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The development of breast implant technology continues to evolve over time, but changes in breast shape after implantation have not been fully elucidated. Thus, we performed computerized finite element analysis in order to better understand the trajectory of changes and stress variation after breast implantation. The finite element analysis of changes in breast shape involved two components: a static analysis of the position where the implant is inserted, and a dynamic analysis of the downward pressure applied in the direction of gravity during physical activity. Through this finite element analysis, in terms of extrinsic changes, it was found that the dimensions of the breast implant and the position of the top-point did not directly correspond to the trajectory of changes in the breast after implantation. In addition, in terms of internal changes, static and dynamic analysis showed that implants with a lower top-point led to an increased amount of stress applied to the lower thorax. The maximum stress values were 1.6 to 2 times larger in the dynamic analysis than in the static analysis. This finding has important implications for plastic surgeons who are concerned with long-term changes or side effects, such as bottoming-out, after anatomic implant placement.

Keywords

Mammaplasty - Breast implants - Finite element analysis - Computer simulation

*The two authors contributed equally to this work.




Publication History

Received: 23 March 2019

Accepted: 12 June 2019

Article published online:
28 March 2022

© 2019. The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, permitting unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

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