Determination of siloxanes, silicon, and platinum in tissues of women with silicone gel-filled implants

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Anal Bioanal Chem. 2003 Feb;375(3):356-62. Epub 2003

Jan 28.

Determination of siloxanes, silicon, and platinum in

tissues of women with silicone gel-filled implants.

Flassbeck D, Pfleiderer B, Klemens P, Heumann KG,

Eltze E, Hirner AV.

Institute of Environmental Analytical Chemistry,

University of Essen, Germany.

Silicone [poly(dimethylsiloxane)] gel used in breast

implants has been known to migrate through intact

silicone elastomer shells, resulting in the clinically

observable " gel bleed " on the implant surface.

Although silicon concentrations in capsular tissues of

women with silicone prostheses have been measured with

element-specific silicon analyses, no

silicone-specific investigation of these tissues has

been performed as yet.A combination of

element-specific inductively coupled plasma

high-resolution isotope dilution mass spectrometry

(ICP-HR-IDMS) and species-specific gas chromatography

coupled mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyze

silicon, platinum, and siloxanes in prosthesis

capsule, muscle, and fat tissues of women (n=3) who

had silicone gel-filled breast implants and in breast

tissue of non-augmented women (n=3) as controls.In all

tissues of augmented women, siloxanes, in particular

octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4),

decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5), and

dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6) were identified.

Depending on the siloxane species and type of tissue

analyzed, siloxane levels in the range of about

10-1,400 ng g(-1) were detected; total silicon was

found in all tissue samples in the range of about

8,900-85,000 ng g(-1). Higher platinum levels ranging

from 25-90 ng g(-1 )were detected in fibrin layer and

fat tissue of two patients with prostheses. No

siloxanes were detected in control breast tissue

samples.This investigation of human tissues by a

combination of element-specific and species-specific

analytical techniques clearly demonstrates for the

first time that platinum and siloxanes leak from

prostheses and accumulate in their surrounding

tissues.

PMID: 12589499 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]