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The following is a summary of “Characteristics of Patients Requiring Surgical Removal of Subdermal Contraceptive Implants: A Case–Control Study,” published in the August 2024 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology by Katabi et al.
Etonogestrel subdermal implants are commonly used contraceptive devices that may require surgical removal due to complications.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study comparing patients undergoing surgical and uncomplicated in-office removals.
They identified patients who underwent surgical removal of etonogestrel subdermal implants by plastic or orthopedic surgeons from January 2014 to October 2019. The patients were compared to those with uncomplicated office removals (n = 669; 13 patients requiring surgical removal [1.9%]).
The results showed that no notable changes in median (IQR) body mass index (BMI) (31.1 [28.2, 35.2] vs. 29.3 [24.0, 35.1], P=0.19), median (IQR) increase in weight since device placement (5 [−0.6, 14.7] kilograms vs. 1.6 [−1.2, 5.8] kilograms, P=0.15), or length of time since insertion of device (2.3 [0.8, 2.8] years vs. 1.0 [0.4, 2.2] years, P=0.17).
They concluded that no risk factors for the difficult removal of etonogestrel subdermal implants had been identified and that practitioners should consult upper extremity surgeons for challenging cases.
