Many Breast Implants Rupture After 10 Years

July 31, 2003

Thu July 24, 2003 07:16 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - At least 15% of silicone breast implants will

rupture within 10 years after implantation, according to a report published

in the July issue of the Archives of Surgery.

Although several studies have estimated the rate of implant rupture, none

have directly examined the actual rates, lead author Dr. Lisbet R. Holmich,

from the Danish Cancer Society in Copenhagen, and colleagues note.

To do this, Holmich's team performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

testing in a group of 186 women who had received silicone breast implants at

least 3 years prior. A total of 317 implants were unruptured at the start of

the study in 1999. At follow-up in 2001, a total of 280 implants remained in

place and 37 had been removed.

The researchers identified 33 (10%) definite ruptures and 23 (7%) possible

ruptures that occurred during the study period. Based on this, 5.3 definite

ruptures were estimated to occur for every 100 implants each year.

Implant age was one of the strongest predictors of rupture, the authors

note. For example, implants that were 6 to 7 years old were nearly three

times more likely to rupture than those that were only 3 to 5 year old.

When the analysis was limited to the newest implants--those developed in

1988 or later--the authors estimated that at least 15% will rupture within

10 years of placement. For these implants, the rate of rupture dramatically

rises 6 to 8 years after placement.

Although some surgeons advocate routine implant exchange after 10 years,

" this may give a false sense of security " since many will have ruptured by

that time, the authors note. Further studies are needed to clarify this

issue and to address the optimal management for asymptomatic ruptures, they

add.

SOURCE: Archives of Surgery 2003.

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