The placement of breast implants is an obvious key ingredient in breast augmentation surgery. While there different incisional locations that can be used, the breast implants must be passed through the incision into the developed tissue pocket regardless of where it is placed. For saline implants, which are inserted deflated and rolled, the location or size of the incision is not an issue. However prefilled devices like silicone breast implants pose insertion challenges particularly in larger implant sizes.
The silicone breast implant placement process can be made easier by having a large incision to easily pass the implant into the pocket. But large incisions create their own aesthetic drawbacks so a limited incisional length is desired. Traditionally the silicone breast implants is passed through an incision that is smaller than its base width by a ‘cram and push’ technique. While effective this is probably not ideal for the implant shell and may create shell indentations and material weaknesses that later may become locations of implant rupture.
A newer breast implant insertion device has been developed over the past few years that has revolutionized this critical step in breast augmentation surgery. Known as the Funnel, this confectionary-looking device allows a breast implant to be placed through a small incision without unduly stressing its shell.. While the implant does get compressed in so doing, it is how it is compressed that makes all the difference. The funnel device allows the compressive forces to be distributed fairly evenly as the implant is pushed from the large end of the funnel through the smaller end which is positioned through the incision into the breast pocket. By so doing there is a much lower risk of creating shell fatigue points.
The other benefit to the Funnel breast implant insertion device is that it allows the implant to go from the box to the pocket without being touched by human hands. This would also lower the risk of potential bacterial contamination.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana