Breast Implants Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Breast Implants, including details on silicone implant, breast augmentation, surgery, risks.

Costosternal Chondrodynia Simulating Recurrent Breast Cancer Unveiled by FDG PET.

Mathew AS, El-Haddad G, Lilien DL, Takalkar AM

From the *PET Imaging Center, Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana; and †Department of Radiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, Louisiana.

FDG-PET imaging, which is routinely used to assess recurrent breast cancer, is nonspecific for malignancies and can detect several inflammatory lesions. Costochondritis following breast reconstructive surgery, presenting with excruciating chest pain or "chondrodynia," is a rare variant of Tietze's syndrome thought to occur due to traction exerted by large breast implants. Diagnosis is usually clinical because no abnormalities are identified on conventional imaging. Two cases have been reported in the literature, but none with FDG-PET. We report a patient with treated breast cancer, presenting with chest pain where FDG-PET to assess for recurrence was consistent with costochondritis and peri-implant inflammation.

Published 23 April 2008 in Clin Nucl Med, 33(5): 330-332.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

Articles on Breast Implants published 8 April 2008:

Filling of Adjustable Breast Implants Beyond the Manufacturer's Recommended Fill Volume.   Aesthetic Plast Surg.

BACKGROUND: Adjustable breast implants are widely used for both reconstructive and cosmetic breast surgery. They provide unique postoperative versatility and allow for more effective management of numerous conditions that would otherwise require surgical intervention. Findings have shown that in a clinical setting, it often is necessary to overexpand saline implants beyond the manufacturer's recommended fill volumes for positive results and optimal patient satisfaction. The authors investigated ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Breast Implants published 27 March 2008:

Reduction of Capsular Thickness around Silicone Breast Implants by Zafirlukast in Rats.   Eur Surg Res, 41(1): 8-14.

Capsular contracture is a very disappointing complication, with an overall incidence between 0.5 and 30% of breast implant operations and, if severe, requiring a further surgical procedure (capsulotomy or capsulectomy). Many frustrating attempts have been made to prevent the fibrotic reaction, mainly with steroids or antibiotics. More recently leukotriene antagonists clinically used in the asthma and lung diseases have been suggested to be potentially useful in counteracting the inflammatory ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Breast Implants published 26 March 2008:

Advantages and Outcomes in Subfascial Breast Augmentation: A Two-Year Review of Experience.   Aesthetic Plast Surg.

BACKGROUND: One of the most popular surgical cosmetic procedures, breast augmentation, has enjoyed large acceptance in the last few decades. One of the most important factors in the dynamics established between the implants and the soft tissues after breast augmentation is the pocket plane. Surgeons have been seeking the proper plane into which the implant might be placed. The subglandular approach resulted in implant edge visibility and was thought to result in a higher incidence of fibrous ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Breast Implants published 25 March 2008:

Seroma-associated primary anaplastic large-cell lymphoma adjacent to breast implants: an indolent T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder.   Mod Pathol, 21(4): 455-63.

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas of the breast are rare, encompassing approximately 0.04-0.5% of all malignant breast tumors, and the vast majority are B-cell lymphomas. In contrast, lymphomas of T-cell phenotype have been rarely reported and some of these have been in close proximity to a breast implant. In our consultation practice, we have identified four patients with primary T-cell anaplastic large-cell lymphoma presenting adjacent to silicone or saline breast implants. All patients presented with ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

One-stage immediate breast reconstruction with implant following skin-sparing mastectomy in Asian patients.   Ann Plast Surg, 60(4): 362-6.

The Asian breast reconstruction patient is usually of lower mean age, lower body mass index (BMI), and has relatively small breasts. This study aimed to investigate the outcome of 1-stage immediate breast reconstruction using saline-filled implants in the Asian patients.Between April 2002 and July 2005, 30 patients underwent skin-sparing mastectomy and 1-stage immediate breast reconstruction with a saline-filled implant. Mean age was 42.9 years, with a mean BMI of 21.9 and a mean implant volume ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Breast Implants published 19 March 2008:

Immediate latissimus dorsi/prosthetic breast reconstruction following salvage mastectomy after failed lumpectomy/irradiation.   Plast Reconstr Surg, 121(4): 159e-64e.

BACKGROUND: Few reports have critically evaluated outcomes following immediate latissimus dorsi/prosthetic reconstruction in the setting of prior irradiation. The primary objective of this study was thus to evaluate the incidence of perioperative complications, capsular contracture severity, and overall aesthetic results following immediate latissimus dorsi/implant reconstruction in patients undergoing salvage mastectomy for failed breast conservation therapy. METHODS: A review of all ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Silicone breast implants and magnetic resonance imaging screening for rupture: do U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommendations reflect an evidence-based practice approach to patient care?   Plast Reconstr Surg, 121(4): 1127-34.

Regular magnetic resonance imaging has been recommended for the purpose of screening for silicone implant rupture. However, when its use as a screening test is critically examined, it appears that evidence to support its use is lacking. For example, there is no conclusive evidence at this time to show that using magnetic resonance imaging screening of asymptomatic women leads to a reduction in patient morbidity. Furthermore, based on existing data, it is unclear whether the potential benefits ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

How should quality-of-life data be incorporated into a cost analysis of breast reconstruction? A consideration of implant versus free TRAM flap procedures.   Plast Reconstr Surg, 121(4): 1075-82.

BACKGROUND: Although studies have compared the costs of implant and transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM) flap reconstruction, none has considered how quality-of-life data would affect such an analysis. METHODS: A Markov decision analytic model was used. Medical costs associated with the two procedures were obtained from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes. The diagnosis-related group code ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

© 2005-2008 Breast Implants Research Today. All Rights Reserved.