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Does Public Awareness of Breast Implant Illness Correlate with Consumer Demand for Explantation Surgery?: A Study Using Google Trends
Arvin Smith BA, Corinne Wee MD, Yida Cai BS, Mohammed Awad MD, Samuel Boas BS, Robert Clark BS, Anand Kumar MD
University Hospitals Medical Center, Cleveland
2020-02-15
Presenter: Arvin Smith
Affidavit:
I certify that the material proposed for presentation in this abstract has not been published in any scientific journal or previously presented at a major meeting.
Director Name: Anand Kumar
Author Category: Medical Student
Presentation Category: Clinical
Abstract Category: Breast (Aesthetic and Recon.)
BACKGROUND: Recent events in plastic surgery have increased public awareness of potential side effects of breast implants, including anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) and breast implant illness (BII). The impact of these events on surgical trends of demand for explantation remains understudied.
METHODS: The terms "Breast Implant Illness", "Breast implant removal", and "Implant Removal" were searched in the Google Trends database. Relative search volumes per month were collected. Procedural data were obtained from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons' annual report. R 3.6.0 "season" package was utilized to determine general trends. Regression analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel.
RESULTS: Monthly relative search volumes for "Breast Implant Illness" are strongly correlated with monthly relative search volumes for "Breast Implant Removal" (R^2 = 0.734 p<0.05) and "Implant Removal" (R^2 = 0.619 p<0.05). Relative search volume increased by 441% for "Breast Implant Illness" from May 2016 to September 2019. Annual average relative search volume for the term "Breast Implant Removal" and the actual number of explantation surgeries performed were moderately correlated (R^2 = 0.201 p<0.05). Annual average relative search volume for the term "Implant Removal" and actual procedures performed also displayed a positive correlation (R^2 = 0.423 p<0.05).
CONCLUSION: Investigation of the Google Trends database demonstrates a strong association between public interest in Breast Implant Illness and public interest in breast explantation. Furthermore, there is a moderate association between breast explantation and the actual number of explantation procedures performed.
