How do I know if my tissue expander is leaking?
Signs and Symptoms The rupture of a breast tissue expander may not be all that noticeable at first. You may experience a gradual decrease in the size of your breast or notice that the shape of your breast has suddenly (or gradually) changed.
What happens if breast expander leaks?
If the expander should leak, the salt-water solution (also known as saline) used to fill the expander is harmlessly absorbed by your system and the expander is replaced in a relatively minor surgical procedure. A small percentage of patients develop an infection around the expander.
How can you tell if a tissue expander is infected?
Sometimes a bacterial infection can develop in the tissue around a breast implant or tissue expander during the days or weeks following the reconstruction surgery. Symptoms of an infection can include a high fever and breast pain, redness and/or swelling.
Do I need to wear a bra with tissue expanders?
After 14 days you may remove the Surgical Bra and wear a “sports” type bra that will provide support and maintain the placement of the tissue expander. Please do not wear an underwire bra. Please wear a “sports” bra for 24 hours a day for 21 days. You may remove the bra to shower.
What do breast tissue expanders look like?
What to Expect From Tissue Expanders. A tissue expander looks a lot like a breast implant, although it has a thicker outer shell than breast implants. There is a port on the front of the expander.
What can go wrong with tissue expanders?
The most common cause of tissue expander explantation was infection [85 women (52 percent)], followed by mastectomy flap necrosis, implant exposure or wound dehiscence, implant leak, deflation or rupture, seroma, pain, hematoma, and capsular contracture (Table 2).
Why are tissue expanders so uncomfortable?
Tissue expansion may feel like muscle cramping or tight muscles. These sensations are normal, especially in the hours after a saline injection. You may also experience breast tenderness or soreness if you have scar tissue.
Can breast tissue expanders move?
Although rare, there are warnings that the saline valve could leak, the tissue expander may move or slip in the chest, or that scar tissue can impact the expander. The other downside is the discomfort that some women feel while the tissue is expanding, which is described as tightening in the chest.
What happens if a breast tissue expander leaks or ruptures?
A breast tissue expander will almost invariably be removed if a leak or rupture has occurred. The only exceptions may be if the leakage occurred somewhere near the external port or you are near the end of your expansion procedure.
What causes tissue expander rupture?
Some of the causes of tissue expander rupture include: Surgical puncture, occurring during the initial implant procedure or a related breast surgery Mammogram compression, in which the radiology technician applies too much pressure during the imaging procedure Traumatic injuries, including sports injuries, falls, or vehicle accidents
What is breast reconstruction with tissue expander?
In this type of reconstruction, your plastic surgeon will make a pocket under a large muscle in your chest and place a tissue expander in that space. A tissue expander is an empty breast implant that will be filled with normal saline over 6 to 8 weeks.
What is a submuscular placement for a breast expander?
Submuscular placement: This is when your surgeon makes a pocket under your large pectoralis muscle in your chest and places a tissue expander in that space. Your skin is very weak and fragile after your mastectomy, but your muscle is a barrier between your skin and tissue expander.