Snowstorm sign (extracapsular breast implant rupture)
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At the time the article was created Bruno Di Muzio had no recorded disclosures.
View Bruno Di Muzio's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Joshua Yap had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Joshua Yap's current disclosures- Snowstorm appearance (extracapsular breast implant rupture)
- Echo-dense noise (extracapsular breast implant rupture)
- Echogenic noise (extracapsular breast implant rupture)
- Echodense noise (extracapsular breast implant rupture)
The snowstorm sign on breast ultrasound imaging represents the presence of free silicone droplets mixed with breast parenchymal tissue causing characteristic homogeneously hyperechoic dense shadowing with dispersion of the ultrasound beam. It is considered the most reliable sign of extracapsular silicone breast implant rupture 1.
A similar appearance may be seen in axillary nodes in the setting of gel bleed or silicone lymphadenopathy.
The snowstorm sign has also been described in the setting of complete hydatiform molar pregnancy.
See also
References
- 1. Juanpere S, Perez E, Huc O et-al. Imaging of breast implants-a pictorial review. Insights Imaging. 2011;2 (6): 653-670. doi:10.1007/s13244-011-0122-3 - Free text at pubmed - Pubmed citation
- 2. Berg WA, Caskey CI, Hamper UM et-al. Diagnosing breast implant rupture with MR imaging, US, and mammography. Radiographics. 1993;13 (6): 1323-36. doi:10.1148/radiographics.13.6.8290727 - Pubmed citation
- 3. Rosculet KA, Ikeda DM, Forrest ME, Oneal RM, Rubin JM, Jeffries DO, Helvie MA. Ruptured gel-filled silicone breast implants: sonographic findings in 19 cases. (1992) AJR. American journal of roentgenology. 159 (4): 711-6. doi:10.2214/ajr.159.4.1529833 - Pubmed
- 4. Cynthia I. Caskey, Wendie A. Berg, Ulrike M. Hamper, Sheila Sheth, Bernard W. Chang, Norman D. Anderson. Imaging Spectrum of Extracapsular Silicone: Correlation of US, MR Imaging, Mammographic, and Histopathologic Findings1. (1999) RadioGraphics. 19 Spec No: S39-51; quiz S261-2. doi:10.1148/radiographics.19.suppl_1.g99oc11s39 - Pubmed
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