Dutch recommend removal of implants done before 2001

Dutch health authorities on Thursday recommended the removal of breast implants manufactured by French company Poly Implant Prothese done before 2001. "Women who had a PIP breast implant before 2001 should have themselves examined by a doctor and, in consultation, eventually have the implants removed," the Dutch government's health watchdog said in a statement. The Dutch Health Inspectorate (IGZ) call followed a probe by the independent Dutch investigative TV programme Zembla, which discovered that "several hundred" women received PIP implants since 1997, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported. "Until now, the IGZ believed that only Dutch women who received the implants from 2001 onwards were at risk," the IGZ added. Dutch health authorities on January 11 recommended the removal of breast implants made by PIP done after 2001, which affects around 1,000 women in the Netherlands. Initially, the Dutch health authority recommended only that women with PIP implants should see their doctors, but changed its stance after confusion over the issue. PIP implants have been banned in the Netherlands since early 2010. More than 400,000 women around the world are thought to have received PIP implants.