Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41501428›Full record

ArticleAesthetic plastic surgery2026

Litigation in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (1982-2022): Verdicts and Indemnity Across Five Procedures.

Allison S Karwoski, Nicholas Hricz, Taylor Kowansky, Kevin Schlidt, Yvonne M Rasko

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Article in Aesthetic plastic surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Allison S KarwoskiDivision of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 419 W Redwood St, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA. allisonk0314@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-9641-341X
Nicholas HriczDivision of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 419 W Redwood St, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
Taylor KowanskyDivision of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 419 W Redwood St, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
Kevin SchlidtDepartment of Surgery, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Yvonne M RaskoDivision of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 419 W Redwood St, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMalpractice litigation remains a source of professional and financial risk in aesthetic surgery. Prior Westlaw/LexisNexis studies typically focus on single procedures. We assessed aesthetic surgery malpractice across five common procedures and compared verdicts and indemnity between body and facial domains.

methodsRetrospective review of Westlaw Edge for U.S. malpractice cases adjudicated 1982-2022 involving abdominoplasty, breast augmentation, breast reduction, blepharoplasty, and facelift. Variables included procedure, allegations, injuries, verdict, and payout. Outcomes were categorized as defense versus non-defense (plaintiff verdict or settlement). Awards are reported in unadjusted U.S. dollars. χ

results534 lawsuits met inclusion (408 body; 126 facial). Non-defense outcomes were 33.6% in body vs 38.1% in facial cases (χ

conclusionsOver four decades, defense verdicts predominated, yet facial procedures carried greater indemnity than body procedures among paid cases. Findings support expectation forward informed consent, reliable postoperative communication, and risk stratification for combination body procedures as practical targets to reduce medicolegal exposure while improving patient understanding. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Indexed as

MalpracticePlastic Surgery ProceduresSurgery, PlasticAbdominoplastyAdultBlepharoplastyFemaleHumansMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesRhytidoplastyUnited StatesAesthetic surgeryBody and facial proceduresIndemnityInformed consentMalpracticeWestlaw

Identifiers

PMID41501428

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.