It’s extremely important that breast augmentation patients continue to follow standard mammography guidelines. Surveillance for breast cancer is extremely important and the presence of breast implants shouldn’t prevent this from happening.
When mammography is performed on patients who have undergone breast augmentation, specialized techniques are utilized. These techniques utilize compression and displacement to move theimplant away from the breast tissue. In addition, specialized views are used to help visualize the breast tissue. When these methods are utilized, the presence of an implant doesn’t change the effectiveness of mammography. It’s also important to understand that mammography doesn’t damage breast implants in any way.
It’s important for breast augmentation patients to have their mammograms performed in radiology centers that have experience with these specialized techniques. Rarely, additional studies may be necessary. In some cases, patients may require MRI’s to further evaluate their breast tissue.
It’s important to discuss this issue with your plastic surgeon. If you’re concerned about breast cancer surveillance, your surgeon should be able to clarify this issue.