Costal bone abnormalities: an unusual cause of spontaneous bilateral breast implant deflation(†)

Augmentation mammoplasty is the most common aesthetic surgical procedure performed in the USA. Prosthetic failure is a major reason for surgical reintervention. A number of causes for this have been documented, but costal bone abnormalities leading to perforation of the prosthesis are very unusual. We present the case of a woman who experienced spontaneous deflation of both saline implants in close succession, and who was found to have sharp bony spicules on both sides of her chest. Pathology examination reported reactive changes, suggestive of heterotopic bone. Examination of the implants showed no defects besides small punctures on the back wall, which coincided with the position of the spicules of bone. There are a number of possible causes for these bony growths which we examine in turn. The chest wall should be examined in all cases where unexplained implant deflation has occurred.