Abstract
Purpose: To study the effect of injected or implanted silicones other than mammary devices on siloxane T H cell immune memory by lymphoblast transformation. Design: Study of 43 individuals with silicone implants compared with controls. Materials and Methods: Twenty-two men and 21 women, injected or implanted with silicones other than mammary devices, were tested for siloxane T H cell immune memory by lymphoblast transformation. They received an arm muscle implant, block silicone as bone grafts, penile and testicular devices, silicone-containing temporomandibular joint prostheses, silicone-sheathed cardiac pacemaker wires, chin implants, toe replacements, tissue injections, or heavy industrial exposure. The control subjects were drawn from the medical center staff. Concanavalin A (Con A) was the mitogenic control. Results: The mean stimulation indexes for the Con A control were 269.78 - 30.24 (subjects) and 284.17 - 39.18 (controls), p = 0.3857, not significant. The mean stimulation index for siloxane was 104.44 - 13.66 for subjects, against 4.47 - 0.75 for controls, p < 0.0001, highly significant. Conclusions: Injection of silicones or non-mammary silicone device implantation has the immunogenic potential and consequences seen after exposure to mammary devices.