Textured-surface saline-filled silicone breast implants for augmentation mammaplasty.
The earliest silicone breast implants were smooth-surface, silicone rubber devices filled with either silicone gel or saline. Because of persistent problems with capsular contracture, polyurethane-covered silicone implants were developed as an alternative. Particularly in the short run, these alternatives proved highly successful at reducing the incidence of capsular contracture. By 1990, polyurethane-covered implants were rapidly becoming the preferred implant choice of many plastic surgeons, but for legal, regulatory, financial, and safety reasons they were withdrawn from the market by Bristol-Myers in 1991. Meanwhile, during the late 1980s, surface texturing and improved materials became available on other silicone breast implants and expanders. Most studies suggest that textured-surface silicone gel-filled implants, saline-filled implants, and tissue expanders have less frequent capsular contracture than their smooth-surface counterparts.
Spear
S L
SL
Division of Plastic Surgery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA. spears@gunet.georgetown.edu
Elmaraghy
M
M
Hess
C
C
D018427:Breast Implants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D020034:Silicone Gels; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D013499:Surface Properties
D020034:Silicone Gels; D012965:Sodium Chloride