How will silicone gel-filled breast implants effect having mammograms?
Mammography can pose a problem for women with breast implants. Mammograms produce an image of the inside of a woman’s breast by compressing the breast. This presents a risk of rupture to the scar around the implant or a rupture of the implant itself. However, the current recommendations for getting screening/preoperative mammograms are no different for women with breast implants than for those without implants. Mammography exams should be interpreted by radiologists experienced in the evaluation of women with breast implants. It is essential that you tell your mammography technologist before the procedure that you have a breast implant. You should request a diagnostic mammogram rather than a screening mammogram, because more pictures are taken with diagnostic mammography. The technologist can use special techniques to reduce the possibility of rupture and to get the best possible views of the breast tissue. For more information, please read the complete patient information.
