Silicone Breast Implants: A Rare Cause of Pleural Effusion.

Imam H Shaik,Bindu Gandrapu,David Flores,Jyoti Matta,Fernando Gonzalez-Ibarra,Amer K Syed

doi:10.1155/2015/652918

Abstract

Pleural effusions are one of the rarest complications reported in patients with silicone gel filled breast implants. The silicone implants have potential to provoke chronic inflammation of pleura and subsequent pulmonary complications such as pleural effusion. Herein, we report a 44-year-old female who presented with left sided pleural effusion, six weeks after a silicone breast implantation surgery. The most common infectious, inflammatory, and malignant causes of pleural effusion were excluded with pleural fluid cytology and cultures. With recurrent effusion in the setting of recent surgery, the chemical reaction to silicone breast implants was sought and exploration was performed which revealed foreign body reaction (FBR) to silicone material. The symptoms dramatically improved after the explantation.

Highlights

Breast implant is a kind of medical device used to augment or reconstruct breast size after breast surgery or to correct the shape of the breast for cosmetic purposes
The present case study reports a middle aged woman with left sided pleural effusion six weeks after the placement of silicone gel filled breast implant. This case is a useful addition to the literature of a rare complication of silicone gel filled breast implant, which should be in a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with unexplained pleural effusions after the breast implants
Pleural fluid analysis with negative cytology and without any microorganisms and elevated serum inflammatory markers indicated foreign body reaction to silicone gel filled breast implants which was confirmed on pathology

Summary

Introduction

Breast implant is a kind of medical device used to augment or reconstruct breast size after breast surgery or to correct the shape of the breast for cosmetic purposes. American Society of Plastic Surgeons National Clearinghouse of Plastic Surgery Procedural Statistics reports that 296,203 and 93,083 breast augmentation procedures and breast reconstruction procedures, respectively, were carried out in United States in the year 2010 [2]. About half of these implants were silicone breast implants. The present case study reports a middle aged woman with left sided pleural effusion six weeks after the placement of silicone gel filled breast implant. This case is a useful addition to the literature of a rare complication of silicone gel filled breast implant, which should be in a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with unexplained pleural effusions after the breast implants

Case Presentation

Discussion

Conclusion

Conflict of Interests