Silicone gel infiltration of a peripheral nerve and constrictive neuropathy following rupture of a breast prosthesis. Plast Reconstr Surg 1992 May;89(5):949-52
Date
05/01/1992Pubmed ID
1313982DOI
10.1097/00006534-199205000-00029Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0026648076 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 35 CitationsAbstract
Following rupture of a subpectoral breast prosthesis, massive amounts of silicone gel migrated into the arm of a patient. The patient developed painful paresthesias and decreased sensation in the cutaneous distribution of the superficial radial nerve. Nerve conduction studies showed both an increase in distal latency and decreased amplitude in this nerve compared with the normal opposite side. Subsequent neurolysis confirmed dense fibrosis surrounding the nerve. Silicone droplets also were observed within the thickened epineurium of the median nerve, but no electrophysiologic evidence of neuropathy occurred. Multiple debridements of the subcutaneous tissue of the arm were necessary. In one of these specimens, histologic sections demonstrated silicone gel infiltration of a subcutaneous nerve. This is the first reported case of silicone gel infiltration of a nerve and constrictive neuropathy associated with a prosthesis rupture.
Author List
Sanger JR, Matloub HS, Yousif NJ, Komorowski RAuthors
Hani S. Matloub MD Professor in the Plastic Surgery department at Medical College of WisconsinJames R. Sanger MD Professor in the Plastic Surgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
FemaleFibrosis
Foreign-Body Reaction
Gels
Humans
Middle Aged
Nerve Compression Syndromes
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases
Prostheses and Implants
Prosthesis Failure
Radial Nerve
Silicones