Dr. Robert Whitfield reviews a 2016 case where a breast-reconstruction patient chose to go flat despite normal labs and no physical signs of implant problems. He frames it as a missed diagnosis of Breast Implant Illness, though the patient had no capsular contracture, skin changes, or radiation history.
Going back to 2016, I had missed this and I missed this in a, you know, a way that I had never had that happen before. So a patient came to me and wanted to be flat. She'd had a breast reconstruction for cancer. And my sister's a breast cancer survivor. She had reconstruction with implants. She was not a candidate for autologous tissue reconstruction with something like a diep free flap, which I was known for doing in the United States for a long period of time. And so this patient came to me and she said, Dr. Whitfield, I just, you know, I don't want my reconstruction anymore. And that was a big decision. She came to. I went through all of her history, her labs. Her physical exam was normal. She had no evidence of capture contracture. She had no skin changes. She had, had not had radiation therapy. And so I said, yes, you know, I can help you.
