Multinuclear solid-state NMR spectroscopy of envelopes from virgin and explanted silicone breast prostheses: an exploratory study.

The structure and dynamics of silicone envelopes from virgin and explanted breast prostheses have been studied by 1H, 13C, and 29Si high-resolution solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The results indicate that this combination of techniques can be used to unambiguously identify the presence of methyltrifluoropropylsiloxane units and diphenylsiloxane units at concentrations of about 2.0% and 3.5%, respectively, in some of the envelopes. The presence of about 10% silica also was detected and a trace of lipids was found in the explanted silicone envelopes. We have also measured the proton T2 and T1 relaxation times of the envelopes to characterize the dynamics of the silicone in the envelopes.