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MRI Screening for Silicone Breast Implants?

asked 2 years ago by Meeko in san jose
Latest answer by Arian Mowlavi, MD
Question viewed 1,413 times
Tags: breasts, silicone implant

Do silicone breast implants need MRI screening every 2 to 3 years?

13 answers to MRI Screening for Silicone Breast Implants?

MRI every three years for silicone implants

Although I tell my patients about the FDA recommendation that patients with silicone implants obtain MRI's every 3 years, I can tell you that none of them follow this recommendation. My patients obtain an MRI only when they feel that something may be wrong with their implants.

Arian Mowlavi, MD
Laguna Beach Plastic Surgeon

MRI screening is not mandatory

When the FDA approved the use of silicone implants, for all individuals who qualified, in November of 2006 one of their recommendations was to obtain an MRI every 2-3 years to detect any evidence of a rupture. The key word is "recommend" and not require. The reality is unless you notice a problem, ie your breast becoming hard or experiencing pain, there is no need to obtain an MRI every 2-3 years. It is best to be evaluated by your plastic surgeon and decide on how to proceed.... more

David A. Robinson, MD
Munster Plastic Surgeon

MRI screening for silicone implants

The FDA has put a recommendation out to have implants screened every few years using MRI. The reality is, is that the test is expensive and I do not think that most patients will get it done. I think that most patients will opt for the test if they feel something is wrong.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

That is the recommendation.

The FDA recommends MRI screening to evaluate the silicone implant for intracapsular rupture (this is the most sensitive way if diagnosing rupture). However this is not an absolute necessity. We have learned that silicone implants are safe, even if they do rupture. Many people get a MRI if they feel a change in their breasts, and not just every 2 to 3 years. Do what you feel comfortable with.

Kari L. Colen, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Short answer: FDA says YES

The FDA banned silicone breast implants for use in breast augmentation and reintroduced them again in 2006. Part of the criteria for reintroduction of these implants was the recommendation that patients be screened with MRIs every 3 years. I routinely tell my patients about this statement from the FDA. However, it is unclear whether your insurance company will pay for the MRI. If any patient has symptoms that indicate possible rupture, l will order an ultrasound or an MRI depending on... more

Sirish Maddali, MD
Portland Plastic Surgeon

This is the FDA recommendation

This is the recommendation made by the FDA, although if this is followed by all patients, there will certainly be a significant false positive rate, leading to many unnecessary surgeries for patients.

W. Tracy Hankins, MD
Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

I do not recommend routine MRI scans

I do not currently recommend MRI as a screening procedure for silicone gel breast augmentation patients. There is a degree of false positives with a MRI as well as false positives. If there is a clinical indication of an implant rupture then I would consider a MRI scan.

Jeffrey Zwiren, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

MRI screening is recommended

MRI screening is what the FDA recommends for silicone implants. That said, I do not think that most people are having the screening every 2 to 3 years. If it is really necessary is debatable. The decision is really up to you.

David Shafer, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

MRI screening an FDA recommendation

The questions are: what are you screening for and why? Of course the main reason is leakage or rupture of the silicone gel implant. Ultrasound and mammograms are not as sensitive, so they can miss intracapsular leaks. MRI is more sensitive so you will miss fewer. However, MRI's can be overly sensitive, and like screening for breast cancer, can indicate abnormalities that are not pathological, both false positive ruptures and incidental glandular abnormalities. This could potentially lead to... more

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

This is what we recommend.

Hi! A ruptured silicone implant will not harm you. On the other hand, would you want to keep a defective device in your breast indefinitely? Most women do not.. And an MRI has the best chance of identifying a leaking implant, even though it is not always accurate. For these reasons, in Manhattan, we advise women who have had breast augmentation or breast reconstruction with silicone implants to get an MRI every 2 or 3 years.

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

FDA recommends MRI screening

I fully agree with the other post on this question. You have to remember that this is a recommendation by the FDA and necessarily based on surgical judgement. I can not think of any other medical problem or disease that the FDA would recommend an expensive screening test to look for something that will not damage your health. The decision to follow the FDA recommendation is your choice. Best Wishes Dr. Peterson

Marcus L. Peterson, MD
Saint George Plastic Surgeon

According to the FDA, YES MRI is advised every 2-3 years for silicone implants

The answer, according to the FDA, is YES. You should obtain an MRI 3 years after a silicone augmentation mammaplasty and every 2 years thereafter. Most plastic surgeons would say that this is more stringent but for the most part very few plastic surgeons were involved in this decision when it was recommended by the FDA. MRI's are about 89% accurate. That also means they are about 11% inaccurate. So when a false MRI tells you the implant is ruptured, you're natural tendency is to advise a... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

MRI screening for silicone breast implants is recommended

One of the problems with silicone implants is that if they rupture, you might not be able to tell. Thus, when silicone implants were recently approved for use, the FDA recommended that patients undergo an MRI every 2-3 years in order to diagnose a ruptured silicone implant in case it happened.