Late development of hematoma around a breast implant, necessitating removal

We present a patient who bled into the pocket around a breast implant 2 1/2 years after an augmentation mammaplasty. She had received inflatible silicone prostheses, each containing 40 mg of triamcinolone acetonide. Our belief is that this large dosage of corticosteroid was responsible for the late erosion of the medium-sized artery, which caused the hemorrhage. Exploration and evacuation of the hematoma was followed by an uneventful postoperative course.