Gnocchi Implants: An Unusual Differential Diagnosis for Breast Implant Rupture on Imaging.

Abstract

Background: Although breast implant techniques have advanced considerably since the first recorded augmentation procedure in 1895, rupture remains a significant complication. Proper diagnosis is vital for patients' well-being but can sometimes prove challenging when there is no documentation of the initial procedure.

Methods: This report describes a 58-year-old woman with a 30-year history of subglandular periareolar breast augmentation who was referred for bilateral implant rupture identified on computed tomography performed to monitor a breast nodule.

Results: Despite classic imaging findings suggesting bilateral intracapsular implant rupture, breast implant revision surgery revealed a dense capsule containing 6 small silicone implants with no ruptures.

Conclusions: This is a unique case where radiographic imaging was misleading due to an undocumented unusual breast augmentation procedure that used multiple small "gnocchi-like" silicone implants. To our knowledge, this technique has never been described until now and should be noted by the surgical and radiological community.