Brussels, 20/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - Following the European Parliament's adoption of the Stihler report on provisions on breast implants (see EUROPE 15 February p 14), Member States have made great efforts to launch or step up measures to ensure wider protection of women considering breast implantation, says an EU-wide report published by the Commission today. The report focuses on information to be provided to women, rules on patient consent, advertising for breast implantation, thinking on national registers and long-term follow-up. The report follows the November 2001 Commission Communication on breast implants which proposed a range of measures to improve the quality of breast implants and patient protection. In the same context, a Commission Directive was completed on 3 February, upgrading the classification of breast implants. They are now subject to the most stringent quality requirements applicable to any medical device, thus considerably reinforcing quality and safety control before breast implants can be placed on the market.. Special rules on minimum age or cool-off period may be necessary to protect the young and impressionable. As advertising can influence decisions, special scrutiny or even prohibition may be necessary. Long term follow-up mechanisms, such as national registers, can be useful although this raises issues of privacy and accuracy of data. Finally, the Commission has formally invited the European Committee for Standardisation to reconsider the current European standard for breast implants, which will help manufacturers to meet the directive's essential requirements as detailed in the Communication. To read the report and for further information: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/medical_devices/index.htm