Is there a long term health risk if using strattice or alloderm?

Question

Is there a long term health risk if using strattice or alloderm to do revisionary breast augumentation such as fixing capsular contracture or symmastia? How well can a person body incorporate this foreign tissue? Can it be removed easily? Thank you

Bradley Bengtson, MD, FACS · Answer

Short answer is no.  These materials are treated in a special way to remove all of the harmful cells, bacteria and viruses.  The cool thing is that it is essentially a sheet of dermis (the underside of your skin) containing mainly collagen.  One year or so after implantation the collagen is bio-replaced by your own body's collagen...I have not had to remove Alloderm or Strattice once it has incorporated.  The body does incorporate these tissues very well.I am currently using these tissues for capsular contracture repair and Galaflex/Galatea for malposition support however have used these for malposition repair like symmastia and they do well for this application also.Best!Dr B

Richard Baxter, MD · Answer

Strattice and Alloderm are Acellular Dermal Matrix (ADM) materials, which means they are made from skin with the cells removed. The body recognizes this as "self" and so your own cells move in to populate it, blood vessels grow in, and the ADM transforms into living tissue. After a period of time it is no longer foreign but entirely your own. I first proved this with a publication in 2003, and a couple of years ago published a 12-year follow up case. Using ADM's and newer materials such as GalaFLEX and SERI are now known as an internal bra.

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

Thank you for the question. The use of acellular dermal matrix or biosynthetic mesh may be very helpful when it comes to providing additional support for breast implants and/or breast tissue.  I find this material very helpful in cases where patients have recurrent implant displacement concerns and/or significant loss of skin/tissue strength.

Acellular dermal matrix is a biologic implant that carries the ability to become integrated into native tissue. It is made by taking a full thickness section of skin from a donor source (his human, porcine, or bovine in origin).   These materials may be helpful as a supportive matrix, help with the breast implant displacement/malposition,  provide additional support where a capsule repair (capsulorraphy)  is carried out ( such as cases involving bottoming out, lateral displacement, symmastia) etc.  I have also found the material to be very helpful when it comes to treating severe breast implant rippling/palpability concerns.  Furthermore, the acellular dermal matrix is very helpful when it comes to treating challenging/recurrent cases of breast implant encapsulation.

You may find the attached link, dedicated to specifically to the use of acellular dermal matrix for breast surgery, helpful to you as you learn more.  You will find a separate page, dedicated to revisionary breast surgery concerns as well.
Best wishes.

Lavinia K. Chong, MD · Answer

I have used Alloderm initially in breast cancer reconstruction for over 12 years.  My experience with Strattice for revisional cosmetic breast surgery is limited to 8 years.  The complications specific to these biological meshes include a) seroma, collection of fluid which prevents revascularization or incorporation to the native breast flap; b) Red breast syndrome, an "allergic" response to the process by which the ADM is prepared.  When seen, patients are treated initially with antibiotics, until an infectious causation is ruled out.  In the absence of these complications, Strattice serves as a regenerative matrix, becoming part of a patient's breast flap.  Given successful revascularization, removal isn't easy.  In contrast, if the ADM doesn't revascularize because of seroma or infection, it may need to be removed and that process is quite easy.

Is there a long term health risk if using strattice or alloderm?

Answers (4)

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