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Silicone Lymphadenopathy After Breast Augmentation: Case Reports, Review of the Literature, and Current Thoughts

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Abstract

Background

Silicone lymphadenopathy after implantation of silicone breast implants is a foreign body reaction due to the release or migration of silicone into the tissues surrounding the breast implant.

Methods

For the study, 14 cases of silicone lymphadenopathy were identified from the authors’ files. Four patients had been implanted before 2000 and had various types of implants. The remaining 10 patients all were implanted between 2006 and 2009, and all had Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) implants. In addition to an analysis of the authors’ own cases, a thorough bibliographic search was initiated to identify all reports of lymphadenopathy related to silicone breast implants.

Results

The implant age of the four patients implanted before 2000 was 12–34 years (mean, 17.25 years). The implant age of the 10 patients implanted after 2000 was 2–6 years (mean 3.45 years). The literature search identified 29 papers with case reports of silicone lymphadenopathy published between 1978 and 2012, with a total of 175 cases. Usable data were extracted from 164 of the 175 cases. Of these patients, 159 were implanted before (and including) the year 2000 and had a mean age of 11 years at presentation or explantation, and 5 of these patients were implanted after the year 2000 and had a mean age of 4.6 years at presentation or explantation . After inclusion of the authors’ own cases, the mean age of the implants at presentation or explantation was 10.56 years in a total of 178 cases. Of these patients, 163 were implanted before (and including) the year 2000 and had a mean age of 11.16 years at presentation or explantation, and 15 of these patients were implanted after the year 2000 and had a mean age of 4.06 years at presentation or explantation.

Conclusions

Current breast implant technology has minimized the release of silicone gel due to rupture or bleeding of silicone and its migration into the surrounding tissues, thus reducing the rate of silicone lymphadenopathy in the last 10 years. The PIP implant scandal highlights the fact that disregard for the implant manufacturing technologies and standards in favor of higher profits increased rupture rates and gel diffusion, leading to increased local complication rates. Silicone lymphadenopathy is a foreign body reaction that does not warrant treatment unless it is symptomatic or interferes with breast cancer detection.

Level of Evidence III

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the help offered by Dr. Adrian Dragu and Mr. Hassan Shaaban with the information provided regarding their cases.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Artion Plastic Surgery Center, Athens, Greece

    George J. Zambacos & Apostolos D. Mandrekas

  2. Elite Clinic, Debrecen, Hungary

    Csaba Molnar

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  1. George J. Zambacos
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  2. Csaba Molnar
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  3. Apostolos D. Mandrekas
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Correspondence to George J. Zambacos.

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Zambacos, G.J., Molnar, C. & Mandrekas, A.D. Silicone Lymphadenopathy After Breast Augmentation: Case Reports, Review of the Literature, and Current Thoughts. Aesth Plast Surg 37, 278–289 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-012-0025-9

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