What is an En-Bloc Capsulectomy?

Written by Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Nima Naghshineh, MD, FACS on July 8th, 2020.

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En-Bloc Capsulectomy is a misnomer but generally refers to total removal of the capsule or scar tissue around the implant in one piece. However, the term en bloc describes a procedure for malignancy/cancer where a tumor is removed with a margin of uninvolved tissue. This term should not be used for a capsulectomy performed in the absence of malignancy (ASAPS Joint Advisory Statement Release). Capsulectomy is often part of the treatment in breast implant illness, BIA-ALCL (breast implant lymphoma), and severe capsular contracture (tightness and deformation of the breast due to the scar around the implant).

Below is an example of a Total Capsulectomy I performed on a patient that had very painful breast capsular contracture. Inside she had ruptured implants.