Is granulomatous thyroiditis a complication of breast implants?

Granulomatous inflammation of the thyroid can occur secondarily to many underlying disease states, both infectious and noninfectious. Silicon, the second most abundant element on earth after oxygen, has been associated with autoimmune connective-tissue diseases and production of autoantibodies in patients with silicone breast implants. However, there has been no proven cause-and-effect relationship. Cases of granulomatous lymphadenopathy and pericapsular granulomatous reactions have been reported with silicone breast implants owing to silicone leakage. In this article, we report, for the first time, a case of granulomatous thyroiditis associated with silicone breast implants.