Dr. Robert Whitfield explains that textured breast implants cause significant tissue reactivity and are linked to BIA-ALCL, a T-cell lymphoma triggered by chronic irritation. Capsular contracture is hard to diagnose by touch alone, but becomes obvious during surgery when the surgeon can directly feel and manipulate the implants.
So the first case I said was a textured device. Now, textured devices cause a lot of reactivity because they're rough, and they're also the implants— textured implants are most responsible for the breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma, which is a T-cell lymphoma, presumably because of the irritation caused by the texturing. So I I wanted to bring it up because the patient to me had bilateral capsular contractures that were much harder to appreciate on physical exam versus when I was operating on her. So what I mean by that is the capsules, the scar tissue around the implants was very tight. And when it's very tight and hard to move and it tears or shears or opens up, That's to me more consistent with a capsular contracture because I'm moving it around. I can see and feel like the capsule and how tight it is on the device versus trying to examine somebody through layers of tissue or the muscle that's on top of the implants in the majority of the cases that I take care of.
