Canadian researchers are afraid the FDA’s stringent rules about MRI screening of silicone implants will negatively affect breast size. That is why they have devoted themselves to finding a cheap, easy blood test to detect leaky implants.
Currently, the United States Food and Drug Administration recommends that patients with silicone breast implants undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) every two years to detect leakage or rupture. Clearly, this screening schedule leaves temporal windows in which leakage or rupture events would be missed. Furthermore, the high cost and relatively low accessibility of MRI are prohibitive. In an attempt to address the shortcomings of current tests, researchers at The University of British Columbia have designed a rapid method to detect leakage events. A stable synthetic tracer molecule added to silicone breast implant filler is detected in a patient’s hair, blood or urine, following leakage or rupture. This non-invasive test is sensitive, inexpensive, accessible, and decreases health risks associated with silicone breast implants.
Godspeed gentlemen, Godspeed…
University of British Columbia…
(hat tip: Plasticized)