Explant and muscle reattachment?

Hello, thank you for your question. Although the muscle is not completely released everyone has a different outcome of where the muscle is after years of having an implant. Each individual is different. You can approximate where the pec muscle is by flexing them and seeing the outline. Usually over time the muscle becomes atrophied unless you regularly exercise it. During an explant, if the muscle is in good position we leave it alone and if it has retracted to the upper pole, it is very difficult to stretch the muscle back down without tearing it. It is still a very functional muscle regardless of where it ends up and like any other muscle can be rebuilt through strength training.

"Muscle release" usually means muscle detachment, so without knowing more details it isn't possible to give you a good answer. If you have animation deformity then there is probably a degree of muscle detachment and so it should be re-attached or it can persist after implant removal.

When the muscle is cut for the placement of implants, the muscle retracts and cannot be advanced. Over the years, the length has been lost and is anatomically impossible. It can try to be reattached to a point closer but will not have the strength it had originally so there is no point in doing it.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.