Breast Implants: Q&A
Ask a QuestionHow to Detect a Rupture in a Breast Implant?
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anon
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Saline vs silicone
Implant integrity cannot be guaranteed for your lifetime. If you have a saline implant a "deflation" will usually become obvious as the implant volume shrinks over a period of time. This can be fast and dramatic or occasionally may take place slowly over a longer period of time. If you have gel implants, a "rupture" will not cause the breast to shrink because the gel stays together. The breast doesn't feel any different either. An MRI is the only reliable way to...
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Implant Rupture: Gel and Saline
Jens,
With saline implants you will know within hours that your implants are leaking. The saline fluid is similar to intravenous fluid and should be absorbed harmlessly by your body.
With gel implants you will generally not be able to tell if and when your implant leaks or ruptures, unless you develop adverse reactions to the material. The most common reaction is scar lumpiness called silicone granuloma. This may show up on ordinary mammograms. As noted by other surgeons, magnetic...
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Most Silicone Gel Breast Implant ruptures are "silent", MRI recommended periodically in all patients
The majority of silicone gel breast implant ruptures are "silent", i.e., the patient, nor the surgeon or examining physician can definitively make the diagnosis of silicone gel breast implant rupture. For approximately 15 years, the FDA placed a moratorium on silicone gel breast implants, because of concerns about occult implant rupture, interactions of silicone gel with tissues surrounding the implant, effects of silicone gel outside the area of the breast, possible immune...
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MRI scan is best way to detect "silent implant rupture"
First of all, the previous concern about health risks associated with silicone ruptures have been disproven since 1998. So let's get to your question. Silent ruptures occur at a certain percentage per year, just like life expectancy of anything. The longer you have implants , the higher the likelyhood of them being ruptured. Usually this occurs at a rate of about 1/2 of 1 % per year per implant. The best way to detect a rupture is by MRI scan. This is a good idea about 6-10 years after...
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Rupture vs. significance of rupture
Most of the concerns with rupture or leakage in silicone gel implants have to do with the physical, not chemical, risks. Rupture rates are difficult to come by which is why there are ongoing clinical studies and a registry for these implants to keep track of complications. Rupture is related to length of time of implantation: the longer you have implants, the higher the risk of rupture.
Rupture does not mean they explode, but just that the shell loses its integrity and allows gel to leak....
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Detecting implant rupture
Detecting a leak or rupture depends on whether you have saline or silicone gel implants. If you currently have saline implants, a rupture or leak would be very obvious due to a deflation in the implant causing the breasts to shrink in size or look smaller. Unfortunately, with silicone gel implants because they are now a cohesive gel, it would be difficult to detect a leakage or rupture. An MRI or ultrasound is recommended every 4-5 years to rule out any possible silent leak. Since the...
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Failure of a saline implant is easy. Failure of a gel implant is hard.
Saline implants collapse as the salt water escapes the capsule the body places around the implant. The breast goes flat. Not a health issue but requires replacement.
Silicone not so easy. The gel is contained by the capsule and the volume of the breast does not change. MRI scan is the best test but it is 10% inaccurate. That's a lot when you consider an operation hangs in the balance. Failure to detect silicone leakage is not a big problem...
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How to tell if your breast implant has ruptured or deflated [With Video]
The signs vary between Saline implants and Silicone implants. A ruptured Saline implant will usually just deflate, usually over the course of several days, and you will notice a definite change in the size and shape of the breast.
With Silicone implants it can be a bit more difficult to tell. If the shell should rupture, the gel within it will stay within the breast. Most often, you might only notice a slight change in the size, shape, or even feel of your breast.
see video
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Detection of rupture is easier for saline vs silicone implants
Dear Jens:
The decision whether to get saline vs silicone implants is a personal one. Many patients believe silicone implants look and feel more natural than saline ones. If you develop a leak in a saline implant, you will notice it with in hours as one breast will become markedly smaller than the other. The saline is harmless and is resorbed by your body. You will hover, need to have your implant replaced.
Rupture of a silicone filled implant is much harder to detect as the breast...
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It may be silent, but there are ways to detect a problem.
Gel implant failures are different with the memory or cohesive gels than with previous implants. Unlike a saline implant which just deflates with a rupture, the gel implants may not change shape at all. The old "liquid" gel implants would deform or become mis-shaped. The new memory gel implants are designed not to leak as a liquid. The shell material is exactly the same as a saline implant, but does not have the filling valve. There is about a 1% chance over the 1st 5years of...
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These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.
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