Endoscopic Detection of Breast Implant Leaks
This page gives a detailed discussion
of endoscopic detection of leakage
from silicone gel breast implants
Richard V. Dowden, M.D.
Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery
Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery, Inc.
6770 Mayfield Road, Suite 410
(Mayfield Heights)
Cleveland, Ohio 44124
(440) 449-7470
Endoscopic Detection of Breast Implant Leaks
Using a special magnifying instrument called an endoscope it is possible to quickly and accurately determine whether a silicone-gel-filled breast implant has ruptured or has been leaking silicone. This test was developed several years ago by Dr. Dowden and his resident and colleague Dr. Shirley Anain, and has proven to be by far the most accurate method available for diagnosis of silicone-gel-filled implant leaks.
| Back to the top | To Home page |
Thanks to special instruments and the same modern technology that enables surgeons to perform so many of the so-called "bandaid" operations, it is possible to make a tiny incision in the previous breast scar, and to safely insert a high-magnification viewing endoscope to examine the surface of the silicone-gel-filled implant. Under high magnification, it is possible to quickly determine whether there has been a leak of silicone gel from the implant.
| Back to the top | To Home page |
Doctors have been searching for many years for a reliable, accurate way to check silicone-gel-filled implants. Unfortunately doctors usually cannot tell by examination that a silicone-gel-filled implant is not leaking. And, patients have no way to tell by themselves. There are several tests that can be helpful, but none are as accurate as endoscopic checking for leaking implants. Completely ruptured implants are often detectable with mammograms, ultrasound, or magnetic resonance MRI, but very small leaks of silicone do not reliably show up on any of these studies. The most promising for the future may be MRI, but sufficient accuracy for MRI seems years away. That is why Dr Dowden and Dr Anain developed implant endoscopy.
| Back to the top | To Home page |
The advantages of endoscopic detection of silicone-gel-filled breast implant leaks are:
- it is accurate - more accurate than mammogams, ultrasound, or MRI (magnetic resonance)
- it is safe - not harmful to either the patient or the implant
- it is rapid - takes about 15 minutes per breast
- it is documentable - a videotape record of the findings is produced
| Back to the top | To Home page |
The disadvantages of endoscopic detection of silicone-gel-filled breast implant leaks are:
- it is a surgical procedure - outpatient, local anesthetic
- only a small number of surgeons around the world have been trained to do it
- it does not substitute for the MRI that the FDA wants patients to have every 2 years.
- some insurance companies do not cover the costs
| Back to the top | To Home page |
Complications are extremely unlikely after endoscopic detection of silicone-gel-filled breast implant leaks, but could theoretically occur, even in the hands of a highly skilled and qualified plastic surgeon. Any operation carries the possibility of anesthetic risks, bleeding, infection, and poor healing.
| Back to the top | To Home page |
Endoscopic inspection is done under local anesthetic, as an outpatient procedure. Usually patients return to work and full activities the next day.
| Back to the top | To Home page |
Images Copyright © R.V.Dowden, MD, 1993.
| Load enlarged photo (14 Kb JPEG) | Back to the top | To Home page |
If you are interested in any of the procedures described on these pages and want to find a board-certified Plastic Surgeon in your area who is qualified to do them, call the referral service of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons at (800)-635-0635, or check:
http://www.plasticsurgery.org. To find out if a surgeon whose name you have been given is truly a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, put the name into the search engine at http://www.abms.org to find out.
| Back to the top |
Images Copyright © R.V. Dowden, MD, 1993.
This page Copyright © R.V. Dowden, MD, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007.
This information may not be reproduced or distributed electronically or in print without permission from Dr. Dowden.
Note that while the information given by Dr. Dowden during a consultation is completely current and up-to-date, the information of this website is only as current as the date of last update, and therefore may become out-of-date.
6770 Mayfield Road, Suite 410
Mayfield Heights, Ohio 44124
(440) 449-7470
Note: To ensure privacy for our patients, all of our outgoing phone lines have their caller ID permanently blocked; if your phone does not accept blocked ID calls you will not be able to receive any calls back from our office.
Last Update: 6:46 PM on 07/30/2007
URL of this page:
http://dr-dowden.com/main/endoscop.html
URL of Dr Dowden's home page: http://dr-dowden.com/index.html