Posted August 09, 2022 in Reconstruction
Silicone Breast Implant Ultrasound Now Available in Clinic!
Breast implants are FDA-approved devices and are an important option for breast reconstruction and breast augmentation. Silicone implants are closely monitored by the FDA to ensure safety.
Although the risk of implant rupture is relatively low over the lifetime of the device, implant screening is a priority to ensure implant safety. Currently, the FDA recommends that silicone breast implants are monitored for rupture every 3 years with a breast MRI.
While a silicone implant rupture is not an emergency and most patients experience no symptoms with an implant rupture, if you were to be found to have a rupture it is important to discuss your options, including exchanging the breast implant.
Dr. Spiegel is dedicated to patient advocacy, advances in breast surgery, and medical safety. For this reason, our office now offers silicone implant screening in the office annually for our patients with breast implants. This screen allows real-time evaluation of the breast implant and immediate feedback for the patient on the integrity of the implant.
It is important to note that the ultrasound screen offered in the office is only utilized to detect an implant rupture and is not meant to detect or monitor breast cancer. This additional screen allows for a silent implant rupture to be caught early, in between MRI screens, and offers peace of mind for our implant patients. This implant ultrasound does not take the place of diagnostic or routine breast ultrasound or mammograms and does not take the place of the FDA recommended breast implant MRI every 3 years.
Implant ultrasound screening is performed by our trained physician assistants who treat breast surgical patients every day.
Our office is excited to offer this simple, noninvasive, implant screen for patients. If you have had implants placed by Dr. Spiegel please contact the office at 713-441-6102 to be scheduled for an implant screen.
Please note if it has been three years or longer since your implant was placed, a breast MRI will be ordered to evaluate your implants and you will be scheduled for an office ultrasound the following year.
