CAPSULAR CONTRACTURE
What is a capsule and what is a contracture?
The capsule is the normal physiologic response to a foreign body placed in the human body whether it be breast implants, pacemaker or artificial joint, etc. It is the patient's own tissue. Occasionally it can contract down causing tension and perceived hardening of the implant. That is a contracture.
What causes the contracture?
Ultimately, the answer is unknown, although most evidence implicates involvement of bacteria that is normally found on the skin or within the breast itself. This is a much less virulent bacteria that does not cause an overwhelmingly obvious infection but causes enough of an inflammatory response to cause hardening around the implant.
Is capsular contracture common?
Capsular contracture is considered the most common complication after breast augmentation surgery. Every surgeon is going to have patients who develop capsular contracture, although the difference between surgical practices varies widely.
What can the surgeon do to reduce the chance of capsular contracture?
Many things are employed in our practice to minimize any bacterial contamination and therefore, capsular contracture. As the surgeon, I am the only one who handles the implant. Powder is removed from the gloves so as not to introduce any additional foreign body. The implant pockets are rinsed with antibiotic solution as is the skin around the breast incision. The same solution is used to rinse the surgeon's gloves. Antibiotics are given to the patient before surgery, intravenously and for five days after surgery. Patients are instructed in how to do breast massage to stretch the capsule one week after surgery. Strict adherence to all of these measures decreases the chances of hardening dramatically.
I was told that if hardening develops my only option is to undergo repeat surgery.
There are things that can be employed before automatically going back to surgery such as employing a regimen of antibiotics, vitamin E and an asthma medication which was serendipitously found to help some women soften their capsules. In addition, the Aspen After Surgery Ultrasound Treatment is specifically designed for breast capsular contracture that dramatically increases the likelihood of successful non-operative treatment of hardening of the breast.
Where can I receive Aspen After Surgery Ultrasound Treatments for my hardening?
At this time, there are only four centers in North America offering this FDA-approved and patented treatment. Ours is the only treatment center west of the Mississippi River. We have found the success rate to be as high as 80% for grade III capsular contracture.
Do I have to be a patient of your practice to have the Aspen After Surgery Ultrasound Treatments?
No. We accept patients from all over the five-state region and beyond whether they had their surgery performed here initially or not. Please contact our office and visit our website for more details.
