UPDATE 1-Mentor quarterly profit falls as costs rise

(Adds sales, cost details, company comment)

NEW YORK, May 15 (Reuters) - Mentor Corp (MNT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) reported lower quarterly profit on Thursday as growing silicone breast implant sales were offset by higher costs.

Mentor posted a net profit of $19.8 million, or 53 cents per share, for its fiscal fourth quarter compared with a profit of $25.9 million, or 54 cents per share, a year ago.

Excluding items, Santa Barbara, California-based Mentor earned 30 cents per share from continuing operations, edging analysts' average expectations by 1 cent, according to Reuters Estimates.

Nets sales for the quarter rose 24 percent to $99.4 million, topping Wall Street estimates of $93.5 million.

The increase was spurred by conversion from saline breast implants to Mentor's MemoryGel silicone implants and by growth in sales of reconstructive products.

Sales of breast products jumped 26 percent to $87.5 million for the quarter.

"With a backdrop of the uncertainty of the U.S. economy, our global breast aesthetics franchise showed resiliency during the quarter," Chief Executive Joshua Levine said in a statement.

Selling, general and administrative expenses jumped to $41.8 million from $29.3 million a year ago due to marketing programs and other costs.

Research and development costs also rose 23 percent to $12.8 million in the quarter. (Reporting by Bill Berkrot; Editing by Andre Grenon)