The Spectrum® Postoperatively Adjustable Breast Implants are made only by Mentor. The obvious advantage to the adjustability of such breast implants is the ability to enlarge or diminish the size of a breast after the operation. Many women that are quite pleased with the results of their breast augmentation surgery wish that they would have opted for breast implants that were slightly larger, or slightly smaller. Indeed, the decision as to how large of a breast augmentation to request is a tough one. Short of wearing a silicone prosthesis to determine the optimal size for breast enlargement in any particular woman, there are not very many options. This is not what one would call high tech, and at times some patients are unsure in spite of such a maneuver. The Spectrum® Postoperatively Adjustable Breast Implants give a plastic surgeon the ability to adjust the dimensions of an enlarged breast for up to half a year after the fact. This is performed via a tiny fill tube left in place at the time of surgery, adjacent to the incision. The breast implants are filled to a point deemed perfect by the patient, and the tube is removed in the office. The fill volume is generally determined by the amount of injection that a patient would tolerate, and typically that is on order of 50 – 100 cc. Although it is possible to attempt to fill the Spectrum® expandable breast implant years after the surgery in theory, this would probably not be very feasible practically. This is because of the presence of a breast capsule that forms to varying degrees in every breast augmentation patient. Another very powerful reason to use such adjustable implants is when performing breast enlargement surgery along with breast lift surgery. Because the complication rate for this procedure is unacceptable to some aesthetic surgeons they chose to stage it, or perform the breast augmentation separately from the breast lift. The reason for this is that the two procedures stress breast skin more than either one alone. The breast augmentation will stretch breast skin, and place it under tension. The breast lift will excise skin and place it under tension. This excessive tension, in the very least can make for very wide and unattractive scars, and at the worst cause breakdown of the incisions and implant exposure, breast skin and fat (necrosis) death, and possible life-threatening infection. Because the adjustable breast implant does not need to be inflated to full capacity at the time of a simultaneous breast lift and breast enlargement surgery, the augmentation mastopexy can be carried out all in one step. The breast can then be gently and gradually stretched over time. This will obviate the need for an extra surgery. The Smooth Round Spectrum® Style 1400 breast implant, as the name suggests, is a smooth implant of moderate projection that can be filled to the desired size as describe above. It is available in the size listed below.
Smooth Round Spectrum® Style 1400 Sizing Chart
| Minimum Fill | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalog Number | Nominal Volume | Temp. Min. Volume | Min. Final Volume | Min. Diameter | Min. Projection |
| 350-1410 | 125 cc | 105 cc | 125 cc | 9.4 cm | 2.7 cm |
| 350-1420 | 175 cc | 150 cc | 175 cc | 10.3 cm | 3.1 cm |
| 350-1430 | 225 cc | 190 cc | 225 cc | 10.8 cm | 3.5 cm |
| 350-1440 | 275 cc | 230 cc | 275 cc | 11.6 cm | 3.8 cm |
| 350-1450 | 325 cc | 275 cc | 325 cc | 12.4 cm | 4.0 cm |
| 350-1460 | 375 cc | 320 cc | 375 cc | 13.5 cm | 4.1 cm |
| 350-1470 | 425 cc | 360 cc | 425 cc | 14.0 cm | 4.2 cm |
| 350-1480 | 475 cc | 405 cc | 475 cc | 14.3 cm | 4.4 cm |
| 350-1485 | 525 cc | 450 cc | 525 cc | 15.0 cm | 4.4 cm |
| 350-1490 | 575 cc | 490 cc | 575 cc | 15.7 cm | 4.8 cm |
| Maximum Fill | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalog Number | Nominal Volume | Temp. Min. Volume | Max. Final Volume | Max. Diameter | Max. Projection |
| 350-1410 | 125 cc | 105 cc | 150 cc | 9.3 cm | 3.2 cm |
| 350-1420 | 175 cc | 150 cc | 210 cc | 10.2 cm | 3.8 cm |
| 350-1430 | 225 cc | 190 cc | 270 cc | 10.9 cm | 4.3 cm |
| 350-1440 | 275 cc | 230 cc | 330 cc | 11.5 cm | 4.6 cm |
| 350-1450 | 325 cc | 275 cc | 390 cc | 12.1 cm | 4.9 cm |
| 350-1460 | 375 cc | 320 cc | 450 cc | 13.0 cm | 4.9 cm |
| 350-1470 | 425 cc | 360 cc | 510 cc | 13.7 cm | 4.8 cm |
| 350-1480 | 475 cc | 405 cc | 570 cc | 13.8 cm | 5.4 cm |
| 350-1485 | 525 cc | 450 cc | 630 cc | 14.4 cm | 5.6 cm |
| 350-1490 | 575 cc | 490 cc | 690 cc | 14.2 cm | 6.0 cm |
Please Note: Individual implant dimensions may vary slightly in products of this type. Not all units will conform exactly to the dimensions noted above.
