Bulgarian Women Advised to Check Risky Breast Implants

The PIP implants had a higher rate of rupture than other implants and there are fears they may cause breast cancer. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Bulgarian doctors have asked 3,000 women who received faulty silicone breast implants supplied by Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) to undergo regular checks or have them removed.

"About 3,000 pairs of potentially defective breast implants produced by French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) have been imported in Bulgaria," Dimitar Evstatiev, national plastic surgery consultant said in an interview for bTV channel.

"It is up to the patient to decide whether to remove the implants in advance. I would advise those women to undergo regular preventive checks every six months," he added.

The Bulgarian expert said the French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) is the only one to blame since after initially meeting the requirements, it started using silicone in them was not meant for medical use. As a result the PIP implants had a higher rate of rupture than other implants and may cause breast cancer.

According to unofficial data, tens of thousands of women in some 65 countries across the world, mainly in Western Europe and Latin America, may have been affected by the hazardous product.

The French Health Ministry recommended Friday that women with breast implants reported to contain substandard silicone should get them removed.

The UK government ruled out routine removal, saying there was "no evidence" of a safety concern.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!