Kimberly Pendergrass first met Dr. Marc Salzman, a double-board certified plastic surgeon, eleven years ago when she was seeking advice on how to improve her body image after losing 40 pounds. The Zumba instructor was concerned about maintaining a healthy and natural image while boosting her confidence.
I came to him for cosmetic surgery first,” she explains. “I did my breast augmentation, and I had a lift and an implant put in. Then I came back and saw him a year later and I had a mini tummy tuck.”
Eleven years later, Kimberly returned for a check-up on her implants, aware of FDA recommendations to regularly monitor implants for silent ruptures.
Ultrasound is the best way to actually see a picture to see exactly what’s going on,” Kimberly says. “I’m not going to know without that ultrasound that I had a crack or a rupture or anything like that, and I can’t tell just from a touch. I trust that Dr. Salzman knows what he’s looking at and he’s going to take excellent care of me.”
Watch our video interview with Kimberly to learn more about her experience with Dr. Salzman.
It was wise of Kimberly to see Dr. Salzman for a screening, as it turns out that one of her implants was ruptured.
Learn Ultrasound Essentials for Breast Screening In-house
Dr. Salzman published a 2022 study confirming that 10.6% of women with silicone implants showed silent ruptures under handheld ultrasound.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration now recommends ultrasound scans or magnetic resonance imaging of silicone gel implants to screen for silent ruptures at 5 to 6 years after surgery and then every 2 or 3 years afterward. Historically, compliance has been less than 5 percent, because MRIs are costly and require extra time and travel.
Today, plastic surgeons like Dr. Salzman are using Clarius handheld ultrasound to offer the convenience of ultrasound screening to patients in-house, providing them immediate peace of mind, and a lower cost option for breast implant screening.
Watch an on-demand webinar with award-winning instructor Dr. Marc Salzman where he shares ultrasound essentials for breast surgery that include visualizing silent ruptures, aspirating seromas, and performing PECS blocks. In this webinar, you’ll learn how to use wireless ultrasound to effectively perform a thorough breast scanning protocol. Dr. Salzman has never been surprised in the operating room, always ready to replace ruptures with the correct gel implant.
Dr. Salzman also demonstrates how to use ultrasound for further aspects of breast implant procedures and maintenance. You learn how to detect, measure, and monitor seromas and ALCLs. Dr. Salzman shows how ultrasound allows you to visualize your needle under ultrasound guidance to safely and accurately aspirate the fluid without sticking the implant.
Differentiate Your Plastic Surgery Practice
Clarius handheld ultrasound is the leading choice for plastic surgeons to clearly visualize anatomy and safely guide procedures to avoid complications. If you’re interested in learning how fast, easy, and affordable it is to add high-definition ultrasound to your practice, book a demo today!
