These changes may be temporary or permanent. They may affect sexual response and the response of the nipple during breast feeding. A woman whose nipple is removed as part of her mastectomy will not have the ability to nurse. Interference with mammogram readings can occur with breast implants. This interference may delay or hinder the early detection of breast cancer by hiding suspicious lesions.
Implants increase the technical difficulty of taking and reading mammograms.
It is important that a woman with breast tissue and a breast implant undergo mammography to detect breast cancer. Mammography requires severe breast compression that could contribute to implant rupture . Special techniques are used to reduce the risk of implant rupture during this compression, and to maximize visualization of the breast tissue during mammography. These techniques are called breast implant displacement views, Eklund displacement views or Eklund views, after the physician who developed them. Women with implants should always inform the receptionist or scheduler that they have breast implants when making an appointment for mammography and tell the radiologic technologist about the presence of implants before mammography is performed.