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Gnocchi Implants: An Unusual Differential Diagnosis for Breast Implant Rupture on Imaging
David T Guerrero1, Francesco M Egro1, J Peter Rubin1
1Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA.
Background:
Although breast implant techniques have advanced considerably since the first recorded augmentation procedure in 1895, rupture remains a significant complication. Proper diagnosis is vital for patients' well-being but can sometimes prove challenging when there is no documentation of the initial procedure.
Methods:
This report describes a 58-year-old woman with a 30-year history of subglandular periareolar breast augmentation who was referred for bilateral implant rupture identified on computed tomography performed to monitor a breast nodule.
Results:
Despite classic imaging findings suggesting bilateral intracapsular implant rupture, breast implant revision surgery revealed a dense capsule containing 6 small silicone implants with no ruptures.
Conclusions:
This is a unique case where radiographic imaging was misleading due to an undocumented unusual breast augmentation procedure that used multiple small "gnocchi-like" silicone implants. To our knowledge, this technique has never been described until now and should be noted by the surgical and radiological community.
