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Related Experiment Videos

Textured or smooth implants for breast augmentation? A prospective controlled trial.

D J Coleman1, I T Foo, D T Sharpe

  • 1Department of Plastic Surgery, St Luke's Hospital, Bradford, West Yorkshire.

British Journal of Plastic Surgery
|August 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary

This study compared smooth and textured silicone implants for breast augmentation. Researchers wanted to see if textured implants reduce the risk of capsular contracture, a complication where scar tissue tightens around the implant. Fifty-three patients were randomly assigned to receive either smooth or textured implants. After 12 months, 58% of smooth implant cases showed adverse contracture, while only 8% of textured implant cases did. The difference was highly significant. The study used a blinded panel to assess outcomes and a consistent placement method. The authors suggest textured implants may lower contracture risk, but they emphasize the need for more research to confirm these results.

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Area of Science:

  • Plastic and reconstructive surgery
  • Breast augmentation outcomes research
  • Medical device evaluation

Background:

Capsular contracture remains a significant complication in breast augmentation. Prior research has shown that scar tissue formation around implants can lead to hardness and deformity. No prior work had resolved whether implant surface texture influences this outcome. Observers have noted variability in contracture rates across different implant types. Some studies suggest smooth implants may increase the risk of contracture. However, the mechanisms behind this association remain unclear. This gap motivated the need for a controlled trial. The current study aimed to address this uncertainty through a randomized design.

Purpose Of The Study:

The goal was to compare smooth and textured implants in reducing capsular contracture. Capsular contracture is a known complication in breast augmentation. The researchers wanted to test if surface texture affects this outcome. They hypothesized textured implants might lower contracture rates. A controlled trial was necessary to eliminate bias. Randomization ensured balanced groups. Observers were blinded to implant type. This approach aimed to produce reliable evidence on implant surface effects.

Keywords:
breast augmentation outcomesimplant surface texturecapsular contracture preventionplastic surgery complications

Frequently Asked Questions

Textured implants reduced adverse capsular contracture from 58% to 8% at 12 months.

All implants were placed in the submammary plane for consistency.

To prevent bias in evaluating contracture grades at 12 months.

Baker grades 3 and 4 were used to classify adverse outcomes.

Fifty patients were assessed at 12 months out of 53 enrolled.

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Main Methods:

Fifty-three patients were enrolled in a prospective trial. Implants were randomly assigned to smooth or textured groups. All implants were placed in the submammary plane. Patients were followed for 12 months post-surgery. A panel of observers assessed outcomes at 12 months. Observers were blinded to implant type. Capsular contracture was graded using the Baker scale. Adverse outcomes were defined as grades 3 and 4.

Main Results:

At 12 months, 50 patients were evaluated for contracture. Smooth implants showed 28 cases of adverse contracture (58%). Textured implants had only 4 cases (8%). The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). These findings support the hypothesis that texture reduces contracture. The study design minimized observer bias. No other complications were reported between groups. The submammary placement was consistent across all cases. These results suggest surface texture may influence capsular behavior.

Conclusions:

The authors suggest textured implants may reduce adverse contracture. The 12-month data show a strong trend toward this effect. The study design supports reliable comparisons between groups. Blinding and randomization strengthened the findings. The submammary placement was consistent across all patients. No other variables were reported to influence the outcome. The researchers propose further studies to confirm these results. They emphasize the need for careful trial design in future research.

They proposed further studies to confirm the effect of implant texture.