Subclinical Infection of the Silicone Breast Implant Surface as a Possible Cause of Capsular Contracture: A Follow-Up

Excerpt

Research on seemingly dormant microbes and biofilm at the surface of mammary implants was inspired by Dr. Burkhardt’s original concepts on the role of subclinical infection and fibrous capsular contracture around breast implants [1]. Early on, the relevance of such a question as whether there is any local, cellular, genotypic or phenotypic predisposition necessary to “allow” contracture to develop was reaffirmed first by us and later on by the observations of others who noted that when implants were placed in a “sterile” tissue environment, capsular contracture was virtually unheard of [2, 3]. Questions began to focus on the clinical significance of the presence of bacteria and their by-products. These questions led to the investigation of whether bacteria and microbial by-products not only alter the healing and biological behavior of tissue in the immediate vicinity of the implant but also potentially exert systemic effects as well [4]. …