Punctual Breast Implant Rupture following Lipofilling: Only a Myth?

Abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Lipofilling techniques are widespread in clinical practice as a complement to breast reconstruction, despite posing some risk. Punctual implant rupture following a fat transfer is one of the possible complications, which has not been properly reported yet and is probably being underdiagnosed. The aim of this paper is to report key facts for appropriate diagnosis of this clinical chart.<i></i><b><i>Case Report:</i></b><i></i>We present the case of a 47-year-old woman with a bilateral prosthetic breast reconstruction who was treated with autologous fat graft for upper pole enhancing and scar improvement. The patient developed an early unilateral breast capsular contracture after the fat graft procedure, with normal radiological exploration. Surgical findings showed intraprosthetic fat deposits and a punctual implant rupture. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Punctual breast implant rupture is a possible complication of lipofilling that is usually not suspected at first consultation and might be underdiagnosed based on radiological findings, so investigating clinical signs should necessarily be a prerequisite to diagnosis.

Editorial: risk factors for chest wall depression in breast reconstruction

“…CWD is an important clinical consequence of heterologous breast reconstruction which must be taken into account because it alters the preoperative reconstructive measures, modifying the cosmetic result. Autologous fat grafting is also an important tool to improve the tissue characteristics and implant coverage, but it is not a risk-free surgery ( 8 , 9 ). This also serves as a complementary procedure to improve capsular contracture and underexpansion expected on CWD.…”