Loss of silicone implants after subcutaneous mastectomy and reconstruction.

We studied 89 patients who had immediate or delayed placement of implants after subcutaneous mastectomies. The complications of infection, necrosis of the skin or areola, and extrusion of the prosthesis occurred in 28 percent of these patients, and the incidence was the same after immediate or delayed placement. Only one of the 45 patients who received prophylactic antibodies preoperatively developed an infection after insertion of the prosthesis. The late complications in some of these patients indicate the need for long-term follow-up.