PURPOSE: To assess the MR findings of siliconomas (silicone granulomas) in patients with interstitial silicone injection mammoplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Women with interstitial silicone injection mammoplasty were referred for this study on the basis of clinical findings of palpable mass. Nine patients with 18 augmentated breasts underwent axial and sagittal MR imaging, and the results were analysed in terms of their size, shape, margin, signal intensity, enhancement pattern, distribution and adjacent parenchymal distortion. We undertook in-vitro MR imaging of silicone, paraffin, fat, and water, and then compared their signal intensities at each sequence. RESULTS: Siliconomas were seen as well-defined low-signal-intensity nodules at T1WI and high-signal-intensity nodules at T2WI. There was no demonstrable contrast enhancement. Where there was breast cancer in which heterogeneous signal intensity was observed at T1 -and T2WI, together with heterogeneous enhancement, siliconomas were well differentiated from the tumor mass. At in-vitro MR imaging of silicone, paraffin, fat and water, paraffin showed a very low signal intensitiy at all pulse sequences but silicone showed low signal intensity at T1-fat-suppressed T1WI and high signal intensity at T2-and water-suppressed T2WI. CONCLUSION: MRI allows clear differentiation of siliconoma from fat and fibroglandular tissue, and can therefore, reveal anatomical details and detect lesions in patients with interstitial silicone injection mammoplasty.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mammaplasty* ; Paraffin ; Silicones* ; Water

PURPOSE: To investigate the effectiveness of the pediatric blood culture bottle for vitreous sample culture in endophthalmitis patients. METHODS: All consecutive cases with clinically suspected endophthalmitis treated and cultured in our institution between January 2009 and June 2013 were included in the study. Vitreous samples were obtained by vitreous needle aspiration (tap), anterior chamber aspiration, or mechanized vitreous biopsy (vitrectomy). The samples obtained using the conventional method until August 2011 were classified as group I. Since August 2011, the BacT/Alert PF pediatric blood culture bottle (bioMerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France) was used for culture in group II. We investigated age, gender, biopsy method, cause of infection, use of antibiotics, bacterial culture, and culture positive rate. RESULTS: Thirty-three cases were included in group I and 17 cases in group II. There was no significant difference in age, gender, sampling technique, cause of infection, and use of antibiotics between the 2 groups. The culture positive rate in group II (60.7%) was significantly higher than group I (33.3%, p = 0.032). In group II, Enterococcus feacalis was the most common pathogen (8 eyes). In group I, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were confirmed in 3 cases. CONCLUSIONS: The pediatric blood culture bottle can be used successfully in the examination of clinically suspected endophthalmitis. The method showed higher culture positive rate compared with the conventional method. This technique is simple and maintaining a supply of fresh agar media is not necessary.
Agar ; Anterior Chamber ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Biopsy ; Endophthalmitis* ; Enterococcus ; Humans ; Needles ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Streptococcus pneumoniae