UNILATERAL AXILLARY ADENOPATHY SECONDARY TO A SILICONE WRIST IMPLANT - REPORT OF A CASE DETECTED AT SCREENING MAMMOGRAPHY

At routine screening mammography, asymmetrically enlarged left axillar y lymph nodes were seen in a healthy 70-year-old woman. Ultrasound (US )-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the largest node revealed a foreign body reaction. The patient recalled a previous silicone implan tation in her wrist. On the basis of cytologic study, normal findings of physical examination, and clinical history, a benign foreign body r eaction to silicone implant material was diagnosed. Consideration of r egional silicone lymphadenopathy is recommended in the differential di agnosis of unilateral enlarged lymph nodes noted on mammograms. US-gui ded fine-needle aspiration biopsy is a simple, rapid, inexpensive, and relatively nontraumatic means of ruling out malignancy.