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Impairment of echocardiographic acoustic window by breast implants.

Movahed MR

Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology, University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center, 1501 North Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA.

Cosmetic breast implants are increasing in popularity. The presence of a foreign object such as breast implants overlying the anterior mediastinal space as a cause of impairment of echocardiographic acoustic window affecting image quality has not been described. Here we report three women with significant impairment of echocardiographic images by breast implants. Clinicians should be aware of this interference and women should be informed on the potential limitation in diagnostic echocardiography that may occur before considering this cosmetic surgery.

Published 12 December 2006 in Eur J Echocardiogr.
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