Objective. Acute pulmonary silicone embolism (APSE) related to subcutaneous silicone injections is a well-known entity. Recently,\na fewcases of pathologically confirmed chronic pulmonary silicone embolism (CPSE) frombreast implants have been reported.The\nprevalence of CPSE in women with breast augmentation is unknown. This study was done to determine the prevalence of CPSE in\nfemale lung transplant recipients with a history of breast augmentation and to determine whether breast augmentation plays a role\nin chronic lung diseases requiring lung transplantation. Methods. A retrospective chart review was performed to identify female\nlung transplant recipients with a history of breast augmentation prior to or at the time of lung transplantation. Ten patientsmeeting\nthese criteria were identified.The pathologic features of the explanted lungs of these patients were reexamined for CPSE by a boardcertified\npathologist with expertise in lung transplantation and pulmonary embolism. Results. Of 1518 lung transplant recipients at\nCleveland Clinic, 578 were females. Of 578 females, 10 (1.73%) had history of breast augmentation. A total of 84 H&E-stained slides\nfrom the explanted lungs from 10 cases were examined. No pathologic evidence of chronic silicone embolism was seen in any of\nthe 10 cases. Conclusions. CPSE is not associated with pulmonary disease leading to lung transplantation. Breast augmentation is\nnot a significant contributor to pulmonary disease requiring lung transplantation. Further studies are required to ascertain the\nprevalence of CPSE in the general breast augmentation populace and to define the relationship between breast augmentation and\npulmonary disease.
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