Prevalence of Silicone Lymphadenopathy in Women with Breast Implants: A single-center retrospective study

Abstract

Introduction

Silicone lymphadenopathy (SLA) is a known finding after breast implant surgery. The prevalence of SLA is unknown and therefore its clinical implications are unclear. To make a statement about the clinical importance of SLA, more knowledge on its prevalence is necessary. This study aimed to provide details of SLA prevalence in a single-center.

Methods

This single-center retrospective cohort collected all breast radiology reports from breast or axillary ultrasound (US) and breast MRI exams between 2010 and 2020. These reports were screened for the presence of implant rupture (IR) and/or SLA.

Results

Overall, 1,217 women with silicone breast implants (SBIs) were included over 10 years. This resulted in 1,345 US and 900 MRI reports. In this cohort, 47 women (3.86%) had SLA with intact SBIs, 136 women (11.18) had IR, and 24 (1.97%) had SLA with IR. The sensitivity for IR on US and MRI were 76.2% and 91.7%, respectively. The specificity was 53.8% for IR on US and 66.7% on MRI. These calculations were based on the imaging results of patients whose implants were removed in the MUMC+.

Conclusion

This retrospective cohort provides a single-center ten-year representation of diagnostic imaging of patients with breast implants. The prevalence of SLA in this cohort of women with breast implants is 5.83%. IR increases the risk of developing SLA; however, it can also occur in women with intact SBIs. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report on the prevalence of SLA in patients with SBIs.