Studies & Research -
Breast Implants: An Informational
Update:
From the US Food & Drug Administration - (for some
background about the FDA's position on implants) http://www.fda.gov/oca/breastimplants/bitac.html
Institute
of Medicine Does Not Find A Link Between Silicone Breast Implants and Disease:
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science,
at the request of Congress, conducted a review of all evidence and research concerning
silicone breast implants and determined there is no link between implants and disease. The
17 page
summary report called Information for Women About the Safety of
Silicone Breast Implants makes a good starting point, since it was designed for a
non-technical audience. You can find it at http://www.nap.edu/books/0309065933/html/
If, after reading the 17 page version, you want more in the
way of technical details, then you should read the full report. The 455 page report is an excellent,
albeit technical, read concerning the history of breast implants and the studies
concerning their safety. The study did not discount the risks of breast implants
that are proven, such as capsular contracture, infection, etc. but found no evidence to
connect implants to breast cancer and autoimmune type diseases which were the subject of
litigation against implant manufacturers. This is must see. Click here to go
to http://www.nap.edu/books/0309065321/html/
The Independent Review Group in the U.K. finds
no link between Silicone Breast Implants and Disease:
Silicone gel breast implants are not associated with any
greater health risk than other surgical implants; although there are a number of local
complications, the occurrence of ill-health in women with silicone gel breast implants is
not greater than those in the general population. Specifically, there is no evidence
of an association with an abnormal immune response or typical or atypical connective
tissue diseases or syndromes; children of implanted women are not at increased risk of
connective tissue disease; the information provided to women undergoing breast
implantation is often inadequate. http://www.silicone-review.gov.uk
Court-Appointed
Doctors Find No Link Between Breast Implants and Disease:
MSNBC.com reported on December 1, 1998 that a
landmark panel of court-appointed scientists in a federal district court case in Alabama
said Tuesday it found no proven links between silicone breast implants and diseases
claimed by women suing implant manufacturers. Read the article yourself at www.msnbc.com/news/219689.asp.
The article is topical only. Read the
executive summary of the Scientific Panel's report at
www.fjc.gov/BREIMLIT/SCIENCE/summary.htm.
European Committee On Quality Assurance And Medical Devices In
Plastic Surgery
Summary of the joint statement of The International
Confederation for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (IPRAS) and The
International Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Foundation (IPRAF) by way of a
Consensus Declaration on Breast Implants July 4, 1998. www.worldplasticsurgery.org/press.html#Consensus%20Declaration
%20of%20EQUAM
Surgical Risks of Implants :
From the US Food & Drug Administration - (Much of this
info covers risks of any type of surgery.) http://www.fda.gov/oca/breastimplants/birisk.html
Mayo Clinic 1997 Study:
(New data on complications in breast implant surgery - Mayo
Clinic) www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9703/htm/study.htm
After a mastectomy, consider
these reconstruction options" - Mayo Clinic:
(Information from Mayo regarding post-mastectomy implants) www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9410/htm/maste_sb.htm
New
England Journal of Medicine - Complications Leading to Surgery after Breast Implantation:
(Journal of the American Medical Association, March 1997,
Implant Complications) www.ama-assn.org/special/womh/library/scan/vol_3/no_6/nej306a.htm
University
of Iowa College of Medicine:
Information on Plastic Surgery, Procedures and the Training
that Plastic Surgeons receive. This site not only provides you with information but
also gives you the opportunity to participate in surveys designed to gauge your knowledge
of plastic surgery. http://srn.surgery.uiowa.edu/surgery/plastic/
Still
No Evidence that Breast Implants Cause Connective Tissue Disease:
(From the British Medical Journal - Lancet)
http://www.bmj.com/archive/7129/7129e1.htm
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