Broken Rib from Tissue Expanders. Is this common?

Question

Is getting a broken rib under your tissue expander after the last fill common? Is it going to break again when I go for the exchange? It is very painful and now I can't do any upper stretching exercises for the expanders!

Lewis Albert Andres, MD · Answer

Hello!  Thank you for your question.  I'm sorry to hear of your troubles.  This is a reported complication during tissue expansion and can occur as the expander is filled, which places pressure posteriorly on your chest wall, which is typically sturdy, in order to provide expansion of the overlying tissue.  It is not uncommon to develop a concavity of the area where the expander lies due to this continual pressure.  This is even more common with women who have had radiation therapy to her chest wall.   Are you certain that your rib is broken, or simply having pain in the area?  Regardless, discuss this with your surgeon, as an examination is warranted along with possible removal of some fluid to release some pressure.  It would be unlikely for ribs to break afterwards with an implant in place. as the pressure has been removed.  Best wishes!

Ram Kalus, MD, FACS · Answer

Sorry to hear about your pain and difficulty. I would consider a broken rib following expansion to be quite unusual. This is something you should definitely discuss with your surgeon as well as your oncologist to make sure there are no other possible explanations for your rib fracture. Best of luck. Broken ribs hurt.

Thomas M. DeWire Sr., MD (retired) · Answer

Zooey,Tissue expansion can apply quite significant pressure locally, and rib fracture, though not common, can occur as a complication. Nonetheless, a good x-ray exam of the fracture site is appropriate to be sure that nothing else is going on that could cause bony weakness.   After expansion is completed, a smaller implant will be placed and should not impact the rib issue.  I hope that this helps.

Broken Rib from Tissue Expanders. Is this common?

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