The NHS Medical Director's expert group of United Kingdom, which has been looking at PIP breast implants has published its final report.

The expert group has been collecting and reviewing all available data including estimated rupture rates, data on clinical findings when implants are removed, and further examination of the chemical make-up of PIP silicone gel.

The expert group has found that:

• Exhaustive worldwide testing of the PIP gel material has not revealed anything that could cause a long-term threat to human health – they are not toxic and not carcinogenic.
• PIP implants do have a higher rupture rate – around 2 times higher. The rate of rupture appears to be around 6 to 12% after 5 years, rising to 15 to 30% after 10 years (this compares to 10 to 14% after 10 years for other brands of implants).
• PIP implants have a higher concentration of certain compounds called siloxanes, chemically similar to silicone, which does not present a health risk.
• If the implant does rupture, it has been found to cause local reactions around the implant area in a small proportion of women, which can result in symptoms such as tenderness or swollen lymph glands. There is no evidence that this causes any more significant general health concern however.

The expert group has said that the advice to women who have PIP implants remains unchanged. It is expected that all providers of PIP implants will contact their patients to share with them the latest information regarding the health implication, including the evidence summarised in the report. If women are unsure of the make of their implant they should contact their surgeon or provider.

For more information, please refer to the website of the Department of Health, United Kingdom: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/06/pip-report/

Posted on 19 June 2012