Long-term Silicone Implant Arthroplasty: Implications of Animal and Human Autopsy Findings

• Published in: JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 250; no. 9; pp. 1195 - 1198
• Main Authors: Nalbandian, Robert M, Swanson, Alfred B, Maupin, B. Kent
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL American Medical Association 02-09-1983
• Subjects: Animals; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - surgery; Arthroplasty - methods; Autopsy - veterinary; Biological and medical sciences; Dogs; Female; Foreign-Body Reaction - immunology; Humans; Joint Prosthesis; Lymph Nodes - immunology; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Orthopedic surgery; Prostheses and Implants; Silicone Elastomers; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Time Factors; Orthopedic surgery; Polysiloxane; Materials; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Joint; Experimental surgery; Prothesis
• ISSN: 0098-7484; 1538-3598
• DOI: 10.1001/jama.1983.03340090051029

An examination of host tissue response to implanted material has been conducted as part of a comprehensive research program to study lowmodulus of elasticity silicone implants for small-joint arthroplasty. This was performed on animals and in a long-term human clinical evaluation. Autopsy material on three dogs was obtained more than ten years after silicone implants were placed in their limbs, and in one human arthritic patient it was obtained 12 years after hand reconstruction with implants. The benign nature of the tissue reaction to the implant material is noted. It is compared with other implant materials and discussed in terms of host tissue reactions that may occur in joint replacement procedures.(JAMA 1983;250:1195-1198)