Silicone Thorax Due to a Ruptured Breast Implant

• Published in: Chest Vol. 127; no. 5; pp. 1854 - 1857
• Main Authors: Levine, Robert L., Allen, Timothy C., Cartwright, Joiner, Cagle, Philip T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Northbrook, IL Elsevier Inc 01.05.2005; American College of Chest Physicians
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Biopsy; Breast implants; Breast Implants - adverse effects; cardiac surgery; Cardiology. Vascular system; Chest tubes; Disease; Electron microscopes; Female; Fibrocystic Breast Disease - epidemiology; Fibrocystic Breast Disease - surgery; fibrothorax; Foreign-Body Reaction - etiology; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial - epidemiology; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial - surgery; Heart surgery; Humans; Light; Medical sciences; Mesothelioma; Middle Aged; Pleural Diseases - etiology; Pneumology; Respiration; Respiratory system : syndromes and miscellaneous diseases; Scanning electron microscopy; Silicon; silicone breast implants; Silicone Elastomers - adverse effects; silicone thorax; Silicones; Thoracic surgery; Womens health; United States > US; fibrothorax; EM; cardiac surgery; EDXEA; silicone thorax; silicone breast implants; Heart; Implant; Respiratory disease; Cardiovascular disease; Thorax; Treatment; Implanted; Surgery; Breast; Pleural disease; Mammary gland; Siloxane polymer; Fibrothorax
• ISSN: 0012-3692; 1931-3543
• DOI: 10.1378/chest.127.5.1854

A woman with a history of bilateral mastectomy and silicone implants for fibrocystic disease and a history of atrial septal defect repair presented with pleural nodules on a chest radiograph. A thorascopic biopsy performed for possible mesothelioma demonstrated chronic inflammation and focal pleural fibrosis due to a foreign-body reaction secondary to silicone. This was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive radiograph elemental analysis. As the population ages, the increasing frequency of ruptured silicone implants and the need for heart surgery may result in a corresponding increase in the risk for fibrothorax secondary to inadvertent silicone introduction during surgery.