>Susan Parker wrote:
>> Anyone got any hard information to counter the tabloid scare mongering
>> about this one? They had a field day with the silicone implants, this was
>> meant to be the safe alternative.
What exactly did the tabloids have to say on this subject?
The following is a non-medically qualified biologist's opinion based on
brief literature review:
Today's breast implants may be filled with silicone gel, saline,
triglycerides (peanut oil), or polyvinylpyrrolidone (Bio-Oncotic gel).
When visibility in mammographic X-ray examination through each of these
filler materials was compared, peanut oil provided the clearest image of
nonpalpable breast lesions, required the least radiation exposure, and was
approximately 4 times more radiolucent than the saline or Bio-Oncotic gel
and about 45 times more radiolucent than silicone gel. Triglyceride breast
implants currently provide the best X-ray properties. As far as slow
leakage -- the health risks (see below) appear to be minimal. However, in
a few isolated cases patients reported discomfort in the breast
subsequently traced to implant rupture and separation of contents into
serous and lipid layers.
On balance, the substantial advantages inherent in facilitating low
radiation dose mammographic X-ray screening examinations vs the risk of
infrequent isolated rupture would argue in favor of peanut oil filled
implants in cases where breast implants are required.
BLEED OF AND BIOLOGIC RESPONSE TO TRIGLYCERIDE FILLER USED IN RADIOLUCENT
BREAST IMPLANTS
Young V.L.; Lund H.; Ueda K.; Pidgeon L.; Schorr M.W.; Kreeger J.; Emken E.A.
Cosmetic Surgery Center, Barnes West Hospital, 1040 North Mason Road, St.
Louis, MO 63141, USA
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 1996, Volume 97(6):1179-1195
Radiolucent breast implants filled with triglyceride oil have recently
entered limited clinical trials. To investigate the questions of oil bleed
and the fate of triglycerides that might escape from ruptured breast
implants, experiments reported here used peanut oil labeled with
radioisotopes sod that it could be traced in the urine, feces, and organs
of two groups of rabbits. In one experiment, 18 rabbits were implanted with
peanut oil-filled implants labeled with tritium to determine whether
triglycerides diffuse across silicone elastomer shells. In another
experiments, 19 rabbits were injected with 14C-labeled peanut oil to study
what might happen to the oil if an implant raptures. At the end of the
follow-up period, we measured radioisotope levels in tissue samples taken
from the periprosthetic capsule or injection site of each rabbit, as well
as from major organs and the subcutaneous fat on the dorsum opposite the
experimental site. One experiment revealed that triglycerides do bleed
across the implant shells. Tritium levels were highest in the implant
capsule, the omentum, the aorta, and the subcutaneous fat on the
nonexperimental side. In the experiment simulating implant rupture, 14C
levels were above the background radiation count at the injection site and
in the same tissue sites as in the bleed experiment. Both in vivo
radiolabeling studies indicate that triglycerides freed from implants by
means of bleed or rupture would be absorbed, metabolized, and either
excreted or redistributed to the body's normal fat storage sites if they
are not needed for energy. In a third in vitro experiment, triglyceride oil
specimens were inoculated with various microorganisms associated with wound
infections: Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia
coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and diphtheroids. The data demonstrate
that neutral triglycerides used as a breast implant filler do not support
growth of common infection-producing bacteria and suggest that
triglycerides may have bactericidal properties.
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