Women with silicone gel breast implants are often told MRI is the only option for silent rupture detection. According to FDA recommendations, women should get an MRI three years after receiving silicone gel breast implants, then every two years for the life of the implants. MRIs are expensive and time-consuming, causing many women to put them off or skip them altogether. Dr. Marc Salzman now offers a new option for Louisville, KY silent rupture detection. We spoke with Dr. Salzman to learn more about how he uses high resolution ultrasound to check silicone gel breast implants for rupture at his cosmetic surgery practice.
What Is High Resolution Ultrasound?
High resolution ultrasounds give patients a picture of what is happening inside their bodies, and can be used to check the status of a silicone gel breast implant. At Salzman Cosmetic Surgery and Spa, Dr. Salzman explains, “I use a Clarius device, which is one of the better images that really shows pretty much everything. It’s a wireless device, so we have the patient in the chair where we do a normal exam. I do my physical exam, I look for symmetry and then we lay them back and we type their name on to an iPad and turn the ultrasound on. Within about 45 seconds, you’re ultra sounding. and then I’ll usually do four images left and right, and if there’s anything that’s suspicious, we may do a cine or a movie file. The whole thing, even with talking and presenting it to one of my fellows, takes less than 10 minutes and then you can go back and review later. If you want to annotate the images, we can add it to the patient’s chart just with a click. It’s really been revolutionary.”
How Accurate Is Ultrasound For Louisville, KY Silent Rupture Detection?
Dr. Salzman tells us “I found in my experience with ultrasound that the positive predictive value is as close to 100% as you can get. I haven’t ordered an MRI in seven years. The only scenario that I would ever order an MRI is if the patient says ‘I want to know 100% if my implants are broken. Otherwise, I am not going to the operating room to have them removed.’ And I will look point blank at them and say, ‘There is no 100%, there’s going to be some false positives and false negatives with even MRI.’”
What Benefits Do Patients Gain From High Resolution Ultrasound?
Dr. Salzman describes several benefits he has seen since introducing high resolution ultrasound to his practice. The first benefits he mentions are reduced costs and ease of scheduling. “MRIs are not inexpensive. And in our town, on the low end, they’re $1,500. On the high end, they’re $2,500. Their insurance usually does not cover it. And it’s not a short thing. It’s a 45 minute to an hour and a half ordeal. You’ve got to go to a center, a physician’s offices like ours don’t usually have MRI machines in the office.
“If you see a patient that comes in with an Allergan implant and she says, ‘Well, what do I do with this?’ I can say, ‘Well let’s send you for an MRI.’ That’s not as effective as saying, ‘Well, let’s look at it with ultrasound. You have grade one capsules. There’s nothing wrong with your breasts. You’re happy with the way they look. Let’s see if they’re broken. Well, they’re not broken. What do you want to do?’ She can say, ‘Oh, nothing.’ and go on with her life.”
What if this method of Louisville, KY silent rupture detection does detect a broken implant? In this case Dr. Salzman says, “Well, the right one is broken.” If the right one’s broken, let’s put two new ones in. We’ll put a round, smooth implant. Do you want to go larger? Do you want to lift? All that takes place in one consultation. We don’t have to send somebody away to somebody else, to then read this MRI, and then have the patient come back. That is too long of a waiting period.”
Dr. Salzman says the other major benefit for patients is that he can discover more information with ultrasound than just Louisville, KY silent rupture detection. Recently, the FDA has raised concerns about BIA-ALCL in certain textured surface silicone gel breast implants. Patients who worried about BIA-ALCL, or are unsure if their breast implants are smooth or textured, can get a simple ultrasound to check them. Dr. Salzman tells us, “you can usually tell if an implant is textured or smooth. So if you see a smooth implant on ultrasound, you’re not really as worried about ALCL. If there’s no seroma on ultrasound, the vast majority of patients with ALCL present with a seroma. If there’s no thickening at all, the capsule looks very, very, very thin, it would be super rare for it to be positive for ALCL. So there’s been a vast number of patients that we’ve done exams with ultrasound just in the last couple of months because of this whole Allergan ALCL news that patients have been now sent letters about.”
Visit Dr. Marc Salzman For More Cosmetic Surgery Options
Dr. Salzman has almost 30 years of experience in cosmetic surgery, with his primary focus in breast surgery. In addition to offering high resolution ultrasound, Dr. Salzman offers a wide variety of breast implant options. To explore your options for aesthetic enhancement, visit Dr. Salzman today.
Considering breast implants in Louisville? Contact Dr. Marc Salzman today to discuss your options. Simply call 502-425-5200, or visit https://www.itbecomesyou.com/. Dr. Salzman’s office is located at 4702 Chamberlain Lane Louisville, KY, 40241.
