Surgical and anatomical details of the breast | beautiful A.B.C.

The 3-step principle of breast analysis was developed to help describe and deal with complex deformities of the female breast. It divides the breast into 3 simple anatomical features; the footprint, the conus and the skin envelope. Applying the 3-step principle greatly simplifies surgical planning and management. The footprint is the outline of the breast base on the chest wall and is the interface of the posterior surface of the breast with the thoracic cavity. The footprint forms the foundation of the overlying three-dimensional structure of the breast (fig. 1). The footprint can easily be seen at the end of a mastectomy, if the overlying skin is retracted, exposing the serratus anterior and pectoral muscles. Fig. 1 Fig. 1: Typical size and position of the breast footprint on the chest wall on a frontal (a) sagittal standing (b) and an axial supine view (c). The conus refers to the three dimensional shape, projection and volume of the breast. It is normally formed by the mammary gla

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