New Study by the Plastic Surgery Group Using High Resolution Ultrasound of Silicone Gel Implants Offering Women Information on Their Implant Status

CINCINNATI, Dec. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Dr. Michael Leadbetter is one of several plastic surgeons around the nation participating in high resolution ultrasound (HRUS) technology to help their patients more easily detect ruptured silicone gel implants and reporting on their experience. While the FDA currently recommends regular MRI scans for women with silicone gel implants, compliance rates are low. Now that several studies have documented the excellent accuracy of in-office high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) scans for detecting silent rupture of silicone gel implants, surgeons are looking to this new technology to tell patients that their implants are intact or ruptured.

"We jumped on the opportunity to take part in this national study to offer a noninvasive, inexpensive way of monitoring a silicone gel implant, especially with the data that's coming out now about textured implants and ALCL," explains Dr. Leadbetter, senior partner of the Plastic Surgery Group in Cincinnati, Ohio. "Everybody has been very positive about it. They say, 'You mean I can do this while I'm in the office, on an annual basis, in 15 minutes? I'm in!' So, I think this is going to be very important to them."

Dr. Leadbetter also reports that his patients find the exam interesting and informative. "Every patient that has taken part said it's been great because it's very easy for them to do. They get to lay there and get to watch the exam live. They can see it on the iPad, and they are fascinated with what they look at because they get a chance to see inside their breasts."

The national study is being conducted in nine facilities around the country in order to evaluate how women feel about having the new HRUS scans of their silicone gel breast implants. HRUS is being offered at no cost to the first 150 women in each facility who have silicone gel implants that were placed between 2000 and 2015. Women not eligible for the study, wishing to check for implant rupture, are offered the ultrasound option at a low cost.

Most women with silicone gel breast implants are aware that their implants may rupture without any symptoms. This is called a "silent rupture." The FDA recommends that women with silicone gel breast implants receive MRI scans three years after their initial surgery, then every two years for life in order to detect silent ruptures. However, MRIs are expensive, and are usually not covered by health insurance plans. The latest HRUS technology allows women to know whether they have experienced silent rupture, quickly and easily.

"The ability to evaluate them on an annual basis and catch a failure or a defect that can easily be taken care of is a huge bonus to these patients," explains Dr. Leadbetter. "They just look at this as a way for them to evaluate their implant and feel more secure with the integrity of their implant. It's a win-win for everybody."

Women in the Cincinnati & West Chester, OH and Crestview Hills, KY area with silicone gel breast implants placed between 2000 and 2015 who are interested in ultrasound to verify whether or not their implants have silently ruptured may contact The Plastic Surgery Group at (513) 791-4440 to schedule an in-office High Resolution Ultrasound scan. For more information about Dr. Leadbetter and The Plastic Surgery Group, please visit https://theplasticsurgerygroup.com/.

SOURCE The Plastic Surgery Group