Linguine Sign
Extracapsular Breast Implant Rupture

General Considerations

• A sign on MRI of the breast of an intracapsular breast implant rupture
• Multiple curvilinear strands of decreased density are seen in the breast and represent the shell of the implant floating in silicone surrounded by the fibrous capsule that forms naturally around the implant shell
• The fibrous capsule usually contains the silicone as the shell collapses

Imaging Findings

• Silastic elastomeric shell appears as low-signal-intensity lines, and the silicone gel appears as high signal intensity on T2-weighted images
• Findings can also be seen on CT

Linguine Sign. The white arrow points to curvilinear strands of the shell of the breast implant floating in the silicone on this sagittal MRI of the breast. The implant is, in turn, surrounded by a fibrous capsule. This represents an intracapsular breast implant rupture. 

Signs in Imaging: .Linguine Sign. A Safvi. Radiology, Volume 216, Issue 3, September 2000