Tumor remnant after silicone implant en bloc capsulectomy: the magnetic resonance role

Abstract

Recently, there has been an increase in surgeries to treat silicones implant complica tions. These procedures are generally related to diseased fibrous capsules, with cap sular contracture the most common clinical manifestation. However, patients often do not undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan for the explant surgical pro gramming to access the fibrous capsule status and avoid residual diseased tissue. The accuracy of MRI to assess fibrous capsule breast neoplasm remnants depends on the surgical time. The ideal time for the evaluation is up to 72 h after the surgery when the repaired tissue starts to appear. Up to 2–3 weeks after surgery, MRI can provide information on the presence of a residual tumor. After this period, the presence of scar tissue and granuloma impairs the analysis. This communication discusses the role of MRI in evaluating residual fibrous capsules in the postoperative period.

Recently, there has been an increase in surgeries to treat silicones implant complications. These procedures are generally related to diseased fibrous capsules, with capsular contracture the most common clinical manifestation. However, patients often do not undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan for the explant surgical programming to access the fibrous capsule status and avoid residual diseased tissue. The accuracy of MRI to assess fibrous capsule breast neoplasm remnants depends on the surgical time. The ideal time for the evaluation is up to 72 h after the surgery when the repaired tissue starts to appear. Up to 2–3 weeks after surgery, MRI can provide information on the presence of a residual tumor. After this period, the presence of scar tissue and granuloma impairs the analysis. This communication discusses the role of MRI in evaluating residual fibrous capsules in the postoperative period.