Posted on October 25, 2013
Another journal article August 2013 from Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Journal, ” Effects of Silicone Expanders and Implants on Echocardiographic Image Quality After Breast Reconstruction.”
Why do we care?
Many women need to montior their heart for cardiotoxicity from cancer chemotherapy.
There are some studies which indicated impairment in the echo acoustic window caused by silicone implants. This study wanted to see if it was a real problem. They looked at 44 consecutive women who had echocardiograph after breast reconstruction. Findings?
- Echo visibility was adequate in only 50% of the cases, and indadequate in the remaining ones.
- Using a multivariable analysis, they found left breast reconstruction with silicone impalnts considerably reduces the image quality of the echocardiography.
Interesting finding, and something to consider when doing reconstruction. Echocardiograms are not the only way to visualize the heart, but this study is one to note.