| The Reliability of Ultrasonographic Fending of Silicone Breast Implant Rupture. |
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Won June Yoon, Dong Jin Lee, Jin Han Cha, Yang Woo Kim |
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| Abstract |
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This retrospective study evaluated possible rupture of silicone gel breast implants in 92 patients. the series included patients undergone augmentation mammoplasty(n=59), and reconstructive mammoplasty(n=23) from Sep. 1993 to Aug. 1996. the age of implants ranged from 4 months to 8 years(mean:23.1months). of these, 19 cases displayed Ultrasonographic sings of rupture. of 13 implants removed, 7 were intact and 6 were ruptured. Implant contour deformities and radial folds are often seen in both ruptured and intact silicone implants and therefore cannot serve as reliable signs of rupture. A stepladder sign in intact implant is believed to be the result of reverberation artifacts within the interior of the implant. Due to these false-positive ultrasonographic findings, ultrasonographiy is not as absolutely reliable tool for the diagnosis of implant rupture. Alternative imaging methods(CT, MRI) are required to establish an accurate preoperative diagnosis. |
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