Comprehensive Systematic Review of Breast Implant Illness: Symptoms, Management, and Long-Term Outcomes

Breast augmentation using silicone implants is common, with over 300,000 annual US surgeries. It was initially approved in 1962, there were safety concerns with the use of silicone implants, leading to a 1992-2006 FDA moratorium. Recently, Breast Implant Illness (BII) was described as a cluster of symptoms associated with silicone implants, with a lack of diagnostic criteria, which increased the likelihood of implant removal and a variety of treatment options. This comprehensive review aims to shed light on the extent, symptoms, management, and outcomes of BII.

Multiple electronic databases were systematically searched in May 2023 for studies on Breast Implant Illness utilizing terms related to BII and its symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. Out of 1204 studies, 20 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for the included cohort prospective and retrospective studies, and the tool for evaluating the methodological quality of case reports and case series were utilized during quality assessment.

There were 20 papers on Breast Implant Illness published between 1995 and 2022, including a peak of papers published in 2020 and 2022. The majority of the studies came from the USA, with a variety of research methods, including case reports. Reports of arthralgia and fatigue were common findings. These symptoms were frequently alleviated by surgical procedures such as en bloc explantation and capsulectomy, highlighting the intricacy of the problem and the need for individualized treatment plans.

The review underscores the critical need for further research into BII, advocating for a multidisciplinary strategy that prioritizes patient safety, informed decision-making, and comprehensive care. As the medical community progresses in understanding and managing BII, emphasizing evidence-based practices and patient-provider communication will be essential in addressing this complex condition effectively.

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .