Retrospective study on the strength of magnetic resonance signs for predicting breast implant rupture: assessing the impact of radiologist expertise at a breast cancer referral center.

Objective: This study evaluates the diagnostic criteria of MRI for breast implant rupture and examines the influence of radiologist experience on the accuracy of rupture detection.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in a single center, involving patients who underwent implant replacement surgery between March 2019 and October 2022. MRI evaluations by four radiologists of varying experience levels were compared with surgical outcomes.

Results: The study included 118 explanted prostheses, with 25 identified as ruptured. Expert radiologists demonstrated near-perfect agreement (κ = 0.94) in identifying rupture signs, with high PPV and NPV, whereas non-experts showed only moderate agreement (κ = 0.44). Indicators such as the linguine sign, subcapsular line, and keyhole sign were identified with high accuracy by experts, contrasting with non-experts' lower detection rates.

Conclusions: Expertise in radiology significantly impacts the accurate diagnosis of breast implant ruptures. This study supports updating radiological guidelines and underscores the importance of specialized training and experience in improving diagnostic outcomes in breast implant assessments.