The case of a patient who experienced a late, spontaneous breast hematoma 9 years after augmentation mammaplasty in the absence of trauma or anticoagulation is reported. Although hematoma is not an uncommon complication in the immediate postoperative period, it is very rare as a late complication of breast implantation. A review of the literature suggested that a chronic inflammatory reaction to the polyurethane-coated implants used in the reported patient was the most likely cause for the complication.
Augmentation mammaplasty is one of the most commonly performed plastic surgery procedures. Infection, still one of the most feared complications of the procedure, usually is caused by skin commensal organisms. A wide variety of other organisms also may be responsible for these postoperative infections, including atypical mycobacteria. A case of a prosthetic breast implant infected with Mycobacterium cheloneae is presented, and the presenting signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options of such an infection are discussed. The importance of promptly isolating the pathogen for potential salvage of the prosthesis also is stressed, as well as the operative intervention necessary when conservative therapy fails.
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