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Review
. 2016 Dec 27;20(1):87-89.
doi: 10.1007/s40477-016-0225-2. eCollection 2017 Mar.

Sonography in capsular contracture after breast augmentation: value of established criteria, new techniques and directions for research

Johannes Gossner  1
Affiliations
Review

Sonography in capsular contracture after breast augmentation: value of established criteria, new techniques and directions for research

Johannes Gossner. J Ultrasound. .

Abstract
in English, Italian

Capsular contracture or capsular fibrosis is the most common complication following breast augmentation with implants. Sonography is usually the initial imaging test performed to examine a suspicious implant. In contrast to the large number of patients developing capsular fibrosis there is only sparse literature reporting about sonographic findings. In this letter after a brief review of normal sonographic findings after breast augmentation, established ultrasound findings suggestive of capsular fibrosis (deformity, increased number of radial folds and thickening of the fibrous capsule) are discussed. The possible value of new techniques and possible directions for further research are addressed.

La contrattura capsulare o fibrosi capsulare è la complicanza più comune dopo un intervento di mastoplastica additiva. L'ecografia è di solito l’indagine iniziale eseguita per esaminare un impianto sospetto. A fronte del gran numero di pazienti che sviluppano tale complicanza c’è solamente poca letteratura che riporta studi ecografici sull’argomento. Dopo una breve rivisitazione dei quadri ecografici normali dopo mastoplastica additiva, in questa lettera vengono discussi i reperti ecografici tipici della contrattura capsulare (deformità, aumento delle aderenze, ispessimento della capsula fibrosa). Viene discusso anche il valore delle nuove tecniche e date eventuali direzioni della futura ricerca.

Keywords: Breast augmentation; Capsular contracture; Sonography.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Sonographic findings of a normal implant shell showing the typical two-layer appearance and an implant valve
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Sonographic findings of a normal implant showing a radial fold, minimal periprosthetic fluid and the fibrous capsule
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Increased number of radial folds creating an undulated implant surface in a patient with clinical findings of capsular contracture. Note also the prominent and irregular fibrous capsule
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Thickened fibrous capsule in a patient with capsular contracture
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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