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Preventive Mastectomy: Questions and Answers

(continued)

7. What type of follow-up care is needed after reconstructive surgery?

Women who have reconstructive surgery are monitored carefully to detect and treat complications, such as infection, movement of the implant, or contracture (the formation of a firm, fibrous shell or scar tissue around the implant caused by the body’s reaction to the implant). Women who have tissue flap reconstruction may want to ask their surgeon about physical therapy, which can help them adjust to limitations in activity and exercise after surgery. Routine screening for breast cancer is also part of the postoperative follow-up, because the risk of cancer cannot be completely eliminated. When women with breast implants have mammograms, they should tell the radiology technician about the implant. Special procedures may be necessary to improve the accuracy of the mammogram and to avoid damaging the implant. However, women who have had reconstructive surgery on both breasts should ask their doctors whether mammograms are still necessary. (More information about mammograms can be found in the NCI fact sheet, Screening Mammograms: Questions and Answers, at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/screening-mammograms on the Internet.)

8. Where can a person find more information about breast implants?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the use of breast implants and can supply detailed information about these devices. To listen to recorded information or request free printed material on breast implants, consumers can contact the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) at:

Address:	Consumer Staff CDRH/FDA HFZ–210 1350 Piccard Drive Rockville, MD 20580
Telephone:	1–888–INFO–FDA (1–888–463–6332), toll-free 301–827–3990 (Call between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, for either number.)
E-mail:	dsma@cdrh.fda.gov
Web site:	http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/index.html http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants (Breast Implants Home Page)

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WebMD Public Information from the National Cancer Institute

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Selected References

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