Explant of Ruptured Sub-muscular Cohesive Gel Implant: is En Bloc Necessary?

asked 1 year ago by Francesca Elizabeth in New York, NY
Latest answer by Anindya Lahiri, MBBS
Question viewed 377 times
Tags: cohesive gel, en bloc, MRI, risk, rupture, submuscular

Hi- I recently discovered, and confirmed through MRI, an intracapsular rupture of my sub-muscular 410 cohesive gel implants. They are about four years old. My surgeon is recommending en bloc removal, however this also seems to be this doctor's standard operating procedure.

Is en bloc necessary with cohesives, and are the potential health risks significant either way? I would be extremely grateful for professional input.

5 answers to Explant of Ruptured Sub-muscular Cohesive Gel Implant: is En Bloc Necessary?

Ruptured implant

Once the diagnosis of ruptured breast implant is made, the implant should be removed enblock. Breast implants are made to be contained in a shell. Before silicone migrates, remove it. You have several options, discuss with your plastic surgeon the pros and cons and the risks of each recommendation.

Samir Shureih, MD
Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

Removal of a ruptured implant

For a ruptured silicone implant, I would prefer to do a full capsulectomy (en bloc removal of capsule and implant) to minimise any spill of the escaped silicone. Though silicone is relatively harmless, it still can travel to the lymph glands in your armpits and cause enlargement of the glands/discomfort etc. With cohesive gel, theoretically, the risk for spread of the silicone is lower - but perhaps not completely eliminated. So I would agree with your surgeon's proposal. more

Anindya Lahiri, MBBS
Birmingham Plastic Surgeon

Would favor removal

I favor removal with complete capsulectomy if possible. En Bloc sounds very severe but is not really more than a complete capsulectomy since this is still an intracapsular rupture. En bloc is much more substantial procedure for extracapsular rupture into the breast parenchema. While it remains an intracapsular rupture, risks of any problems are minimal. The problem is that we do not know when it may progress to an... more

Chen Lee, MD
Montreal Plastic Surgeon

Ruptured implants should be removed

My recommendation is to remove ruptured implants. I would not recommend leaving them in. If the rupture is intracapsular the goal of surgery is to remove the ruptured implant as well as any silicone. That requires removal of the capsule in order to assure containment of the silicone that has "leaked" out. I would agree with an en-bloc removal.

Albert Dabbah, MD
Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

Removal of ruptured silicone implants

Most surgeons would recommend removal of a ruptured silicone implant however if you are not having any symptoms (pain) you do not necessarily have to remove them. If you are on a special study or trial with the 410 implant, removal may be required. There are no known health risks of having a ruptured silicone implant in your body. Consult with you surgeon to find out the specifics of the study with regard to implant removal. Best wishes, Dr.Bruno

William Bruno, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Ask a question

Get Free Email Updates