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Information for Women About the Safety of Silicone Breast Implants (2000) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 24-25

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From page 24...
... Strong evidence indicates that placement of implants behind the chest muscles improves mammography performance and lessens the chance for local comp~ications and repeat operations. The committee does not recommend closed capsu~otomy as a treatment for capsular contracture.
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From page 25...
... Areas Need ing Ad d itio na l Res ea rch The TOM committee also assessed areas in which more research is needed before the safety of silicone breast implants can be fully understood. These include the following: ongoing studies of women with si~icone-based breast implants to define and standardize their physical and chemical characteristics; such studies should include tracking the outcome in women with specific types of implants, such as silicone gel and saline, and the results of these studies should be communicated to women and their doctors; studies of local complications, severe contracture; including frequency of rupture, deflation, and research and evaluation of the use of diagnostic tests for ruptures in women without any symptoms and whether these asymptomatic ruptures need to be removed; evaluation of silicone and silicon amounts in saline implants; the accumulation of more data on saline implants; controlled studies on the use of steroids to reduce some local complications if that is to be considered (steroids are not approved by the FDA for use in breast implants, and their uncontrolled use may damage breast tissue and weaken the implants; and a comparison of stage of cancer detected by mammography in women with and without breast implants.
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Key Terms

  • breast implants
  • capsular contracture
  • saline implants
  • silicone implants
  • silicone gel

  • silicone breast
  • severe contracture
  • local complications
  • chest muscles
  • breast tissue

  • breast cancer
  • breast implant
  • implant manufacturers
  • chemical characteristics
  • plastic surgeons

  • saline implant
  • recommend closed
  • cancer detected
  • including frequency
  • reports describing

  • evidence indicates
  • muscles improves
  • mammography performance
  • describing local
  • improves mammography

  • ongoing studies
  • models involved
  • cancer occurs


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