Reduction mammaplasty: A medicolegal hazard?

In spite of the potential for complications and poor results, reduction mammaplasty remains a procedure with a high degree of patient satisfaction. Although thousands of cases are done annually, only a small percentage of the patients are unhappy enough to consider a law suit. A questionnaire was sent to the members of the ASPRS. Thirty-eight percent of the members responded and 11% indicated that they had been sued at least once for this procedure. A review of the results of the questionnaire and suggestions for reducing the number of dissatisfied patients are presented.Presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, New Orleans, LA, April 15, 1986