Acute pneumonitis following breast silicone liquid injection

Pulmonary adverse events of breast silicone implants and silicone injection

The incidence of breast implants and silicone injections has continuously increased since their FDA approval for use in the 1960's. The prevalence of overall adverse events is approximately 20%. The actual incidence of pulmonary adverse events is unknown. This review focuses on the pulmonary adverse events of breast implants and silicone injections. Vascular complications are represented by acute and chronic embolisation syndromes with a clinico-radiological presentation of alveolar hemorrhage. Inflammatory complications are numerous, including siliconoma, which is a granulomatous reaction mimicking a mesothelioma. On the other hand, there are some reports arguing a link between the development of auto-immune diseases and breast implants, such as scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome, and dermatomyositis. Finally, for patients with asthma, breast implants may contribute to poor disease control. Cases of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangeitis have been described. Thus, it is of interest to decipherate mechanisms and incidence of these effects in prospective studies to better manage pulmonary diseases in patients wearing breast implants in order to understand their role as culprits or bystanders. In addition, characterization of subpopulations with increased risk of adverse events is needed as we highlighted that some subpopulations seem to be at greater risk of developing them, notably asthmatics.

Care of the Transgender Patient with a Pulmonary Complaint

Individuals who identify with a gender not typically associated with their sex assigned at birth are a growing population worldwide. Guidelines to help healthcare providers navigate the care of gender minorities (GMs) are often aimed at primary care providers and may be too general for subspecialists. Pulmonologists may see GM individuals for a variety of reasons, and no reference exists that contains relevant information about GM-specific care, including unique conditions to consider. A systematic review was completed to identify unique characteristics in caring for GM patients with a pulmonary complaint.

A Rare Case of Pulmonary Restrictive Syndrome after Liquid Silicone Injection: The Role of the Plastic Surgeon

Despite being especially used in its solid form, silicone is still injected as a liquid filler for breast contouring in many countries. Here, we present a rare case of a woman with silicone pneumonitis and extended breast scarring after breast silicone injection. Because of evidence of a restrictive syndrome due to the thoracic extensive scarring tissue and the high demand of oxygen therapy, as jointly agreed with the pulmonologists, we decided to perform a surgical asportation of the scarring tissue and covering with microsurgical flap. We chose the deep inferior epigastric perforator flap mainly because of the large amount of skin that is possible to use, the good skin texture matching, and the possibility of double team working without changing patient’s position.

Treatment of giant siliconomas of the breasts after injection of silicone

Breast enhancement by injectable materials is known to be used for decades. Possible complications can lead to complex management issues for treating physicians. This case demonstrates the challenges in managing giant siliconomas of the breasts, especially concerning breast reconstruction, in the quest for an aesthetically pleasing outcome with minimum risks.