Scandinavian Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery · 1988 · 46 citations · 7 references
Natural SciencesBioengineeringMaterials ScienceBiomaterialsPolymer ChemistryPolymer EngineeringBreast AugmentationImplant MaterialsImplant Prosthetic MaterialsImplantable BiomaterialsProsthetic MaterialsSilicon MaterialsEnergy Dispersive X-ray SpectroscopyEnergy-dispersive X-ray SpectroscopyScanning Electron MicroscopyScanning Electron Microscopy AnalysisSiliconSilicon CharacterizationSilicone ImplantsSilicone Prosthetic Materials
Implanted silicone breast prostheses leak silicone gel through the intact membrane. In order to determine the exact location and to achieve a semiquantitative estimation of the amount of silicone in the surrounding tissue, a method involving scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX) was used. By this method we were able to demonstrate the presence of the element silicon (Si) (main component of silicone, a polymer with a general formula e.g. (CH3[Si(CH3)2O]n Si(CH3)3 along the inner border of vacuoles corresponding to the light microscopic localization of droplets and in macrophages. The tissue adjacent to the prostheses had a higher silicon content than the control tissue.
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