Publication, Part of [MI] Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry
Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry - January to December 2021, Management Information
Other reports and statistics
Additional data file
The Excel file "Data quality summary by country and provider" has been added to this publication. This was previously only available in the interactive report.
8 February 2023 09:30 AM
Removal of case ascertainment analysis
This publication previously included analysis on case ascertainment in order to give an indication of how effective the registry is in identifying cases. Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) data was used to identify operations that should have been recorded in the BCIR where the care was privately funded. We have identified that there are several independent healthcare providers who have not submitted data to PHIN meaning that this data is incomplete and the previously published case ascertainment estimates are unreliable. Therefore, the case ascertainment analysis has been removed from this publication.
20 October 2023 09:30 AM
Glossary of Terms
Glossary of Terms in BCIR
| Term | Definition |
| American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Classification | A way of measuring patient fitness before surgery. |
| Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL) | An uncommon type of cancer that is associated with breast implants. |
| Augmentation | Surgery to increase breast size. |
| Capsular contracture | Scar tissue around the implant tightening and squeezing the implant. This can cause distortion of the implant and may cause pain or discomfort. |
| Capsulectomy | Surgery to remove scar tissue that has formed around the implant. |
| Community Health Index (CHI) Number | Unique patient identifier, used in Scotland. |
| Device deflation | A change in the size or shape of the implant, usually with saline-filled implants. |
| Device malposition | When the implants are not in the correct position |
| Device rupture | A split in the exterior casing of an implant. |
| Device(s) | A breast implant or tissue expander regulated by the MHRA. |
| Explant | Surgery to remove a breast implant and not replacing it. |
| Fat grafting | Surgery using liposuction to take fat from elsewhere in the body to inject into the breast to improve breast shape. |
| Flap cover | The use of skin and sometimes fat or muscle to cover a breast implant, following mastectomy. |
| General Medical Council (GMC) | The GMC is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. |
| Haematoma | A blood clot in the breast implant cavity. This usually happens soon after surgery. |
| Health and Care (H&C) Number | Unique patient identifier, used in Northern Ireland. |
| Laterality | Right or left breast, or both. |
| Mastectomy | Surgery to remove breast tissue, usually to treat breast cancer or the risk of breast cancer. |
| Mastopexy - Concurrent | Surgery to correct drooping of the nipple - also known as a breast lift. Concurrent means the mastopexy took place at the same time as the implant surgery. |
| Medical tourist | A patient who has travelled from outside the United Kingdom for medical treatment. |
| Mesh or Dermal Sheet | Can be used to support, strengthen and repair tissue in breast implant surgery. This is also a medical device. |
| Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) | The MHRA is an agency of the Department of Health and Social Care responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices are safe. |
| Moribund | Near death. |
| National Health Service (NHS) Number | Unique patient identifier, used in England. |
| Operating (Provider) organisation | The hospital or clinic responsible for a patient's treatment. Also called 'Provider organisation'. |
| Operating site (location) | The place (e.g. address) where the operation was undertaken. A provider may have more than one operating site, and may use another provider's operating sites. |
| Peri-operative antibiotics | Antibiotics given before, during or after surgery. |
| Plane - Pre-pectoral | Implant placed on top of the pectoral muscle, directly under the skin. |
| Plane - Sub-flap | Implant placed under flap of muscle taken from patient's back following mastectomy. |
| Plane - Sub-glandular/fascial | Implant placed on top of the pectoral muscle/fascia, under the breast gland. |
| Plane - Sub-pectoral/dual plane | Implant placed partly under the pectoral muscle and partly under the breast tissue. |
| Provider organisation (Provider) | The clinic or hospital responsible for the patient’s operation. Also called operating organisation. |
| Reconstruction | Surgery to reconstruct the breast shape, often following mastectomy. |
| Replacement | Replacement of an implant or tissue expander for another implant. |
| Seroma | A collection of clear body fluid in the breast implant cavity. This usually happens weeks or months after surgery. |
| Silicone extravasation | The leaking of silicone from the inside of a breast implant. |
| Submitting organisation | The organisation which submitted the data to the registry. Submitting organisations may input data about operations taking place at other provider sites. |
| Unique Device Identifier (UDI) | Unique number that identifies an implant, tissue expander or mesh. |
Last edited: 20 October 2023 12:30 pm