Can you see silicone injections in the butt on an ultrasound guidance?

Hi Carmen,
I send all my silicone patients for an MRI. An MRI is the best way to visualize silicone and foreign body material.
I wish you the best of luck in your search for treatment!
-Dr. NIk

Quite to the contrary, a significant portion of my practice is removing foreign material injected into patients by non-plastic surgeons and non-doctors sometimes in hotel rooms or garages. Though silicone can be seen via ultrasound and MRI, frequently, the patient does not know if the injector has any credentials at all. In addition, they do not know exactly what was injected or how much was injected. This usually leads to a concern about the danger of having this substance within the body. Unfortunately, many surgeons will refuse such patients because there is more intrinsic risk in operating on a patient who has non-sterile injections of unknown material present.

Hello, you have great question --can you see silicone injections in the buttocks on ultrasound.  The answer is "YES".  Usually, the best way to see silicone, PMMA, biopolymers, and other foreign bodies in the buttocks is with a MRI.   However, if a MRI is unavailable, an ultrasound may be the next best imaging tool. A significant portion of my practice is devoted to silicone removal throughout the entire body. One difficulty I have had is that freely injected silicone moves. So when a patient gets an ultrasound or an MRI several months before surgery, that does not mean that the silicone stays in that location. I have had many patients where the silicone has moved.  I have had multiple patients where the silicone has moved approximately 24 inches in just three months!  Therefore, I have developed my own technique where I use an ultrasound during surgery to localize the silicone.   I have multiple videos on RealSelf, YouTube and my website showing the silicone on ultrasound. To me, on ultrasound, the silicone looks like church bells. Please see my video. If you have any further questions regarding silicone removal from the buttock, please contact my office. When seeking a plastic surgeon, please seek an expert who has treated hundreds of patients with silicone in their buttocks.  Thanks for your great question regarding silicone visualization with ultrasound. Sincerely, Dr. Katzen.  

Yes. I use this technique frequently. Our office is the leading center for the removal of foreign body fillers in the United States. My approach is protocol based, beginning with an examination to determine the grade of inflammation using the Karamanoukian Grading Scale for Soft Tissue Inflammation. Silicone biopolymers and PMMA can be safely removed from the face and body. Longterm complications are minimized with diligent attention to detail and protocol-based treatment. 
Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Thanks for the question/s. Understanding illegal silicone butt injections is the first issue. These injections are disbursed through the sub dermal, sub cutaneous, fat, muscle in the buttock. Since the foreign substance has unknown responses to any manipulation (ie: removal, injection on top or into areas, etc) it is impossible to predict unforseen outcomes. I have taken care of many #s of these patients. From deforming removal of the injected areas, injection into areas of fat, and the results are unpredictable. I favor surgical sessions of lipo with limited fat transfer vs deformation of the gluteal anatomy. But infections, abscesses, draining sinuses do occur. Best is in person examination and a complete understanding of all the risks vs benefits.