Xref: utzoo sci.bio:2366 sci.med:12663 Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!ginosko!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!gatech!emcard!wa4mei!kd4nc!rbdc!cso!jay From: jay@cso.UUCP (Jay D'Lugin) Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.med Subject: Re: Breast Implants Message-ID: <146@cso.UUCP> Date: 26 Sep 89 04:22:06 GMT References: <3499.251b8a3e@zeus.unl.edu> Reply-To: jay@cso.UUCP (Jay D'Lugin) Organization: The Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC Lines: 21 In article <3499.251b8a3e@zeus.unl.edu> steimle@zeus.unl.edu writes: > Anyway, a close friend >of mine is considering getting implants and cosmetic surgery, and I'd like >to know of any complications, regrets, health problems, etc. that are >associated with it. It seems that she is trying to solve a sexuality >problem in an extreme way... As a radiologist-to-be, I'm especially concerned about early breast cancer detection with mammography. Most breast implants reduce the sensitivity of a screening mammogram pretty significantly. The rather dense material used (usu. silicone) obscures subtle fibrocycstic changes and micro- calcifications, which can be early warnings of breast cancer. Manufacturers of implants are working on more radiolucent materials, but I'm not sure if they have been approved for general use yet. -- Jay D'Lugin jay@cso.UUCP or {pacbell|mcnc}!gladys!rbdc!cso!jay or jay@fozzie.wustl.edu The Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University "J'en ai marre."