- NEW YORK (Reuters
Health) - At least 15% of silicone breast implants will rupture within
10 years after implantation, according to a report published in the July
issue of the Archives of Surgery.
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- Although several studies have estimated the rate of implant
rupture, none have directly examined the actual rates, lead author Dr.
Lisbet R. Holmich, from the Danish Cancer Society in Copenhagen, and colleagues
note.
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- To do this, Holmich's team performed magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) testing in a group of 186 women who had received silicone
breast implants at least 3 years prior. A total of 317 implants were unruptured
at the start of the study in 1999. At follow-up in 2001, a total of 280
implants remained in place and 37 had been removed.
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- The researchers identified 33 (10%) definite ruptures
and 23 (7%) possible ruptures that occurred during the study period. Based
on this, 5.3 definite ruptures were estimated to occur for every 100 implants
each year.
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- Implant age was one of the strongest predictors of rupture,
the authors note. For example, implants that were 6 to 7 years old were
nearly three times more likely to rupture than those that were only 3 to
5 year old.
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- When the analysis was limited to the newest implants--those
developed in 1988 or later--the authors estimated that at least 15% will
rupture within 10 years of placement. For these implants, the rate of rupture
dramatically rises 6 to 8 years after placement.
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- Although some surgeons advocate routine implant exchange
after 10 years, "this may give a false sense of security" since
many will have ruptured by that time, the authors note. Further studies
are needed to clarify this issue and to address the optimal management
for asymptomatic ruptures, they add.
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- SOURCE: Archives of Surgery 2003.
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