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A temporary empty implant placed at mastectomy and gradually filled over weeks to stretch the skin, so that a permanent implant can be put in later.
Saline tissue expanders are cleared in the United States under product code LCJ. Current examples include AbbVie's Natrelle 133S (K254126, 16 January 2026), Mentor's CPX4 Plus Enhance (K241918, 2 August 2024) and PliaForm with suture tabs (K242963, 24 April 2025), Sientra's AlloX2 Pro (K214124, 8 June 2023) and Motiva's Flora SmoothSilk expander (K211676, 13 October 2023). AeroForm, made by AirXpanders, took a different approach: it was filled with carbon dioxide from a canister inside the device, released by a remote controller, and was granted De Novo classification as a carbon dioxide gas controlled tissue expander (DEN150055, 21 December 2016, product code PQN). Textured Natrelle expanders were part of the 2019 BIOCELL recall described on the breast implants record.
A silicone shell with an integrated or remote injection port is filled stepwise with saline through the skin (or with carbon dioxide released from an internal reservoir) to stretch the overlying skin and muscle.
Query for this technology: (TITLE:"Breast tissue expanders" OR ABSTRACT:"Breast tissue expanders" OR TITLE:"saline and carbon dioxide" OR ABSTRACT:"saline and carbon dioxide" OR TITLE:"Tissue expander" OR ABSTRACT:"Tissue expander" OR TITLE:"Natrelle 133" OR ABSTRACT:"Natrelle 133") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Breast tissue expanders (saline and carbon dioxide), not a curated reading list.
Shares Breast implants for reconstruction (silicone gel, saline and shaped cohesive gel), Breast reconstruction: implant and autologous, immediate and delayed, and what women report afterwards, Breast reconstruction, Breast cancer (all types) and the tag devices-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Breast implants for reconstruction (silicone gel, saline and shaped cohesive gel), Breast reconstruction, Breast cancer (all types) and the tag devices-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Breast implants for reconstruction (silicone gel, saline and shaped cohesive gel) and the tag devices-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Breast implants for reconstruction (silicone gel, saline and shaped cohesive gel) and the tag devices-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Breast cancer (all types) and the tag devices-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Breast cancer (all types) and the tag devices-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Breast cancer (all types) and the tag devices-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Breast cancer (all types) and the tag devices-gaps-2026-11.
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