Breast implant rupture and connective tissue disease: a review of the literature.
BACKGROUND
Large-scale epidemiologic studies to date have not found any credible association between silicone breast implants and either well-defined connective tissue diseases or undefined or atypical connective tissue diseases. It has been hypothesized that implant rupture could prompt an immunologic reaction giving rise to autoimmune or related diseases. In this article, the authors review the available literature on implant ruptures and connective tissue disease.


METHODS
Articles were identified from PubMed and by cross-checking reference lists of retrieved articles.


RESULTS
Five publications were identified. In none of the studies were diseases or symptoms related to well-defined or ill-defined connective tissue diseases associated with rupture status.


CONCLUSIONS
There appears to be little scientific basis for any association between implant rupture and well-defined connective tissue disease or undefined or atypical connective tissue diseases. The concept of silicone-related disease was developed by rheumatologists based on highly selected groups of symptomatic breast implant patients seen in their practices. It is likely that nonspecific complications or symptoms related perhaps to capsular contracture or implant rupture may be misinterpreted as representing a systemic disease.
Hölmich
Lisbet Rosenkrantz
LR
Herlev and Copenhagen, Denmark; Rockville, Md.; and Nashville, Tenn. From the Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Copenhagen, Herlev Hospital; Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society; International Institute of Epidemiology; and Departments of Medicine and Preventive Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
Lipworth
Loren
L
McLaughlin
Joseph K
JK
Friis
Søren
S
D001940:Breast / Q000601:surgery; D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D018427:Breast Implants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D012421:Rupture