Severe Capsular Contracture with Ruptured Gel Implants-Explant in Raleigh, NC*

This 76-year-old woman had breast implants placed over 45 years ago. She developed firm breasts pretty soon after the surgery but did not have any follow-up with her surgeon and thought that this was a normal condition. Over the years the firmness got worse and began causing pain. She was unable to get a normal mammogram because of the firm capsules and pain. She was noted to have Baker IV capsular contracture of the breast implants which involves severely hardened breast implants which are painful and distorted.. She underwent complete capsulectomy with removal of calcified thickened capsules containing completely disintegrated ruptured breast implants. She elected to have a simultaneous mastopexy to appear more normal after this necessary surgery. Breast implants that are hard and firm is a condition called capsular contracture which can be related to inflammatory changes around the implant and represents the body's natural process of walling off the foreign implant. It is more common in the older version of implants and may represent implant rupture. Aging breast implants-Especially those placed in the 1970s and 1980s are likely to be ruptured especially when they become firm which is one sign of implant disruption.