Unilateral axillary adenopathy secondary to a silicone wrist implant: report of a case detected at screening mammography.

Abstract

At routine screening mammography, asymmetrically enlarged left axillary 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 implantation in her wrist. On the basis of cytologic study, normal findings of physical examination, and clinical history, a benign foreign body reaction to silicone implant material was diagnosed. Consideration of regional silicone lymphadenopathy is recommended in the differential diagnosis of unilateral enlarged lymph nodes noted on mammograms. US-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy is a simple, rapid, inexpensive, and relatively nontraumatic means of ruling out malignancy.