Breast Ultrasound Service
Ultrasound Breast Implant Surveillance
Dr Paul believes ultrasound breast implant surveillance should become a standard of care in the UK. As a proactive, preventative measure it can help reassure all patients who have had implants for any reason and allows pain free early detection of any potential issues such as rippling, capsular contracture, flipping and rupture. Ultrasound can also differentiate between textured and smooth implants and can confirm the pocket – either over or under the muscle which can be useful in planning revisional procedures.
Pantheons Clinic Ultrasound Service
Using ultrasound (US) technology for breast implant surveillance offers several important advantages compared to other imaging modalities (such as MRI or mammography).
- Non-invasive and radiation-free
- There is no ionizing radiation involved with USS. Unlike mammography or CT, ultrasound is safe for repeated use, making it ideal for long-term surveillance. USS is non-invasive, painless and very quick to perform
- Real-time, dynamic imaging
- The beauty of USS is that it provides immediate feedback; Mr Banwell can adjust the probe in real time to examine the entire implant and surrounding tissues.
- Effective for detecting common complications
- Implant rupture: Modern ultrasound techniques (especially high-frequency probes and elastography) can detect intracapsular and extracapsular ruptures with good sensitivity.
- Capsular contracture: May reveal thickening or irregularity of the capsule.
- Seromas, hematomas, or silicone leakage: Easily visualized as fluid collections or echogenic changes.
Suitable for all implant types and positions
- Works for silicone and saline implants, whether placed subglandular or submuscular (dual plane).
- Can assess both the implant shell and adjacent breast tissue.
Comfortable and patient-friendly
- Short examination time (typically 15–20 minutes).
- No claustrophobia or contrast reactions, unlike MRI.
DISCLAIMER – surveillance programmes performed by plastic surgeons are for implant surveillance only. These do not aim to detect breast lumps or breast cancer.
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