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RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Dr. Stephen Chen is one of several plastic surgeons around the nation offering new, high resolution ultrasound (HRUS) technology to help his patients more easily detect ruptured silicone gel implants and reporting on their experience. While the FDA currently recommends regular MRI scans for women with silicone gel implants, compliance rates are low. Now that several studies have documented the excellent accuracy of in-office high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) scans for detecting silent rupture of silicone gel implants, this new technology can tell patients if their implants are intact or ruptured.
"In my experience with ultrasound, the positive predictive value is as close to 100% as you can get," reports Dr. Mark Salzman, a board certified plastic surgeon practicing in Louisville, Kentucky for 27 years, and the lead investigator for the study. "Ultrasound has been really, really helpful for our practice."
The national study is being conducted in nine facilities around the country in order to evaluate how women feel about having the new HRUS scans of their silicone gel breast implants. HRUS is being offered at no cost to the first 150 women in each facility who have silicone gel implants that were placed between 2000 and 2015. Women not eligible for the study, wishing to check for implant rupture, are offered the ultrasound option at a low cost.
Most women with silicone gel breast implants are aware that their implants may rupture without any symptoms, called a "silent rupture." The FDA recommends that women with silicone gel breast implants receive MRI scans every two years for life in order to detect silent ruptures. However, MRIs are expensive, and are usually not covered by health insurance plans.
The latest HRUS technology allows women to know what is happening inside their body with their breast implants right in their surgeon's office. Dr. Salzman explains how HRUS benefits both his practice and his patients, "In fifteen minutes you can say, 'Mrs. Smith, your implant is not broken.' It's a relief. No one's going to go spend $2,500 to find that out and have an MRI. But now you can find out in 15 minutes, it's worthwhile. I don't know how in today's world you can practice state of the art, cosmetic breast surgery and not do ultrasound. It's impossible."
Women in the Richmond area with silicone gel breast implants placed between 2000 and 2015 who are interested in ultrasound to verify whether or not their implants have silently ruptured may contact Dr. Chen's office at (804) 482-5313 to schedule an in-office High Resolution Ultrasound scan. For more information about Dr. Chen, please visit https://www.stephenmchen.com/.
SOURCE Dr. Stephen Chen
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"In my experience with ultrasound, the positive predictive value is as close to 100% as you can get," reports Dr. Mark Salzman, a board certified plastic surgeon practicing in Louisville, Kentucky for 27 years, and the lead investigator for the study. "Ultrasound has been really, really helpful for our practice."
The national study is being conducted in nine facilities around the country in order to evaluate how women feel about having the new HRUS scans of their silicone gel breast implants. HRUS is being offered at no cost to the first 150 women in each facility who have silicone gel implants that were placed between 2000 and 2015. Women not eligible for the study, wishing to check for implant rupture, are offered the ultrasound option at a low cost.
Most women with silicone gel breast implants are aware that their implants may rupture without any symptoms, called a "silent rupture." The FDA recommends that women with silicone gel breast implants receive MRI scans every two years for life in order to detect silent ruptures. However, MRIs are expensive, and are usually not covered by health insurance plans.
The latest HRUS technology allows women to know what is happening inside their body with their breast implants right in their surgeon's office. Dr. Salzman explains how HRUS benefits both his practice and his patients, "In fifteen minutes you can say, 'Mrs. Smith, your implant is not broken.' It's a relief. No one's going to go spend $2,500 to find that out and have an MRI. But now you can find out in 15 minutes, it's worthwhile. I don't know how in today's world you can practice state of the art, cosmetic breast surgery and not do ultrasound. It's impossible."
Women in the Richmond area with silicone gel breast implants placed between 2000 and 2015 who are interested in ultrasound to verify whether or not their implants have silently ruptured may contact Dr. Chen's office at (804) 482-5313 to schedule an in-office High Resolution Ultrasound scan. For more information about Dr. Chen, please visit https://www.stephenmchen.com/.
SOURCE Dr. Stephen Chen
