PIP breast implant removal: a study of 828 cases

In March, 2010, the French Health Products Safety Agency suspended the sale of prefilled silicone breast implants manufactured by Poly Implants Prosthèse Prothese (PIP) because of a high failure rate and the use of an inappropriate silicone gel that did not comply with CE marking. These findings led to an international medical crisis. In France, 30,000 female patients had PIP implants. In our Department, 1150 PIP breast implants had been implanted in 630 patients since 2001. A retrospective study was conducted to define the rupture rate of these implants and the complications that arise. The women included in the study underwent implant removal from May 2010 to September 2012 for preventive or curative reasons. Data were collected from medical records that included: results of clinical examination, breast ultrasound before removal, rates of implant rupture, results of biopsy of periprosthetic capsule and pericapsule tissue and postoperative complications. A total of 828 PIP breast implants were removed in 455 patients. The rate of ruptured implants was 7.73% (64/828), corresponding to 11.6% of patients. A periprosthetic effusion was associated with rupture in 44% of cases. Breast ultrasound indicated a rupture for 87 implants; 32% were true positives and 3% were false negatives. Periprosthetic capsule biopsy demonstrated the presence of a foreign body, which seemed to be silicone, in 26% of cases and the presence of inflammation in 13% of cases. No siliconoma-type lesion was identified in the pericapsular tissue at biopsy. A total of 14 implants presented perspiration at removal. A statistically significant difference was found between the rates of rupture for texturised implants as compared to the smooth-surfaced implants. There were eight post-revisional-surgery complications (1%) and three cases of breast adenocarcinoma. The preventive explantation of PIP breast implants is justified given the high failure rate (7.73%) and given patients' exposure to silicone gel that did not comply with CE standards in the absence of rupture, through the early perspiration of implants.