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Renal Complications Associated with Silicone, Methacrylate, and Oil-Based Fillers: A Systematic Review
Agustin N Posso1, Gabriel Cojuc-Konigsberg2, Audrey Mustoe1
1Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Background:
Filler injections are one of the most common minimally invasive cosmetic procedures. Some of the related adverse effects remain unexplored, such as kidney-related complications. This systematic review aims to summarize the cases of patients who developed kidney disease after filler injections.
Methods:
The study protocol followed the PRISMA guidelines. Multiple online databases were used in this review. Eligible studies included cases of patients who developed any kidney-related complication after filler injections. A two-stage screening process was conducted for study selection. Data extraction focused primarily on kidney complications.
Results:
Twenty-nine patients were identified, from 18 case reports and 4 case series. The most frequently injected anatomical site was the buttocks (72.41%, n=21). The three most identified fillers included silicone (51.72%, n=15), methacrylate (31.03%, n=9), and oil (17.24%, n=5). Notably, the status of the practitioner who administered the injections was reported as a non-medical professional in six articles. The most common reported kidney-related complication was chronic kidney disease (CKD), affecting 55.17% (n=16) of patients. Most patients received treatment through hydration (68.97%, n=20) and steroids (68.97%, n=20), while surgery was performed in 20.69% (n=6) of cases. After the renal complication, 37.93% (n=11) patients achieved remission, 20.69% (n=6) patients developed CKD, and 10.34% (n=3) patients died.
Conclusions:
This study described 29 patients who developed renal complications after filler injections. The prevalence of unlicensed or unidentified practitioners performing these procedures could increase the risk of severe outcomes. This underscores the need for stringent regulations and education.
No Level Assigned:
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 .
