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Sonographic and mammographic findings of breast liquid silicone injection
Author(s) -
Scaranelo Anabel Medeiros,
de Fátima Ribeiro Maia Maria
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of clinical ultrasound
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.272
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1097-0096
pISSN - 0091-2751
DOI - 10.1002/jcu.20235
Subject(s) - medicine , palpation , mammography , echogenicity , radiology , physical examination , silicone , fibroadenoma , ultrasonography , breast cancer , chemistry , organic chemistry , cancer
Purpose. To describe the sonographic and mammographic features of patients whose breasts have been injected with silicone. Methods. Between July 1997 and August 1999, 14 patients with a history of breast injection of liquid silicone underwent physical, mammographic, and sonographic examination. Mammographic findings were classified as macronodular, micronodular, or mixed striated patterns. Sonographic appearances were classified as macronodular, micronodular, mixed, or snowstorm patterns. Results. Eighty‐six percent of the patients had abnormal physical examination. Well‐defined nodules were palpable in 4 patients, 6 patients had diffusely heterogeneous breasts on palpation, and 2 patients had a combination of heterogeneous texture with dominant nodules. Sonographic examination revealed the presence of marked echogenicity ( i.e. , snowstorm pattern) in all 14 patients; in 11 patients it was associated with macronodules and/or micronodules, whereas in 3 patients only snowstorm appearance was noted. Mammographic patterns were macronodular in 7 patients and mixed macronodular and micronodular in 6 patients. Conclusions. Both mammography and sonography can help identify free silicone injected directly into the breast. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 34:273–277, 2006