Breast augmentations, commonly performed for aesthetic or medical reasons, often use silicone (polydimethylsiloxane [PDMS]) implants. Some patients develop complications like capsular contracture, where scar tissue forms around the implant. Previously, we used stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy to detect and quantify silicone in stained capsule tissue, finding a correlation between silicone amount and contracture severity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Breast implant surgery is one of the most frequently performed procedures by plastic surgeons worldwide. However, the relationship between silicone leakage and the most common complication, capsular contracture, is far from understood. This study aimed to compare Baker grade I with Baker grade IV capsules regarding their silicone content in an intradonor setting, using two previously validated imaging techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFForeign body giant cell (FBGC) reaction to silicone material in the lymph nodes of patients with silicone breast implants has been documented in the literature, with a number of case reports dating back to 1978. Many of these case reports describe histologic features of silicone lymphadenopathy in regional lymph nodes from patients with multiple sets of different types of implants, including single lumen smooth surface gel, single lumen textured surface gel, single lumen with polyethylene terephthalate patch, single lumen with polyurethane coating, and double lumen smooth surface. Only one other case report described a patient with highly-cohesive breast implants and silicone granulomas of the skin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Breast implants are frequently used in cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery. Capsular contracture, the most common long-term complication, is usually graded using the Baker classification. Despite its widespread use, the reliability of the Baker classification has never been established.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnpredictable hypertrophic scarring (HS) occurs after approximately 35% of all surgical procedures and causes significant physical and psychological complaints. Parallel to the need to understanding the mechanisms underlying HS formation, a prognostic tool is needed. The objective was to determine whether (systemic) immunological differences exist between patients who develop HS and those who develop normotrophic scars (NS) and to assess whether those differences can be used to identify patients prone to developing HS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMillions of women worldwide have silicone breast implants. It has been reported that implant failure occurs in approximately a tenth of patients within 10 years, and the consequences of dissemination of silicone debris are poorly understood. Currently, silicone detection in histopathological slides is based on morphological features as no specific immunohistochemical technique is available.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEmerging science and technologies are often characterised by complexity, uncertainty and controversy. Regulation and governance of such scientific and technological developments needs to build on knowledge and evidence that reflect this complicated situation. This insight is sometimes formulated as a call for integrated assessment of emerging science and technologies, and such a call is analysed in this article.
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