SILICON TISSUE-ASSAYS - A COMPARISON OF NONAUGMENTED CADAVERIC AND AUGMENTED PATIENT LEVELS

Tissue silicon assays were performed on 10 nonaugmented cadavers and 2 5 augmented women to confirm our previous cadaveric data and to establ ish silicon levels at local and distant sites in augmented women under going explant and further reconstruction. All assays were performed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emissions spectroscopy (ICP-AES). C adaveric tissues were sampled from six sites: liver, spleen, breast, n ipple, axilla (soft tissue and nodes), and subcutaneous tissue (abdomi nal). Augmented women undergoing explant surgery had a portion of thei r implant capsule, breast tissue, and, for those undergoing autogenous reconstruction, a portion of the autogenous donor site or distant tis sue sampled. Twenty-four women had silicone implants; one had saline. Results revealed baseline silicon levels in all 10 nonaugmented cadave rs. These results were equivalent to our previous data, confirming the validity of these baseline data. Silicon tissue levels in the 25 augm ented women revealed elevated levels within the implant capsule and su rrounding breast tissue. However, silicon levels obtained from distant sites in augmented women were equivalent to the baseline nonaugmented cadaveric levels. There was no correlation between intact or ruptured implants and symptoms of collagen-vascular disease. In conclusion, th is study validates our original data of baseline silicon levels in non augmented cadavers. Contrary to what some may perceive as silicone flo ating throughout the body, we have found elevated levels around the im plant only, and levels at distant tissue sites were equivalent to the baseline cadaveric data.