Determinants of patient satisfaction with ultrasound-assisted liposuction

Liposuction is one of the most common aesthetic procedures and a number of options are available to practitioners in terms of surgical technique. One of those options is ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL), which has garnered considerable attention in the literature and from patients themselves. Because the role of ultrasound in body sculpting is continuing to increase over time, the authors believe that a comprehensive assessment of patient satisfaction after the procedure is essential. Currently, there are very few reports in the literature examining patient satisfaction with UAL, and to the authors' knowledge, no reports in the literature have successfully outlined the determinants and predictors of long-term satisfaction with the procedure.

The authors examine the correlates and predictors of patient satisfaction after UAL.

The authors conducted a prospective cross-sectional study on 609 consecutive patients who underwent UAL from 2002 to 2008. One hundred and sixty (54%) out of 300 patients with whom the authors could make contact agreed to answer a standardized questionnaire regarding their overall satisfaction.

Nearly 80% of the patients were completely or mostly satisfied with UAL. Seventy-five percent reported that they had or would recommend UAL to others. Women (P=.009), patients who did not gain weight after their UAL procedure (P<.001), patients who were content with their body appearance (P<.001), patients whose dress sizes decreased after UAL (P=.001), and patients with confidence in their body (P<.001) showed statistically significant higher rates of satisfaction with UAL. Among these correlates, confidence in body (odds ratio [OR]=24.4; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.8-83.3) and contentment with body appearance (OR=5.5; 95% CI: 1.5-19.4) were found to be reliable independent predictors of patient satisfaction.

Most patients were satisfied with UAL, but certain patient responses were more highly correlated with overall satisfaction than others and therefore can be considered predictors of long-term patient satisfaction with this procedure. The results of this study may provide plastic surgeons with valuable clues that can enhance preoperative planning and therefore enable further improvement of patients' satisfaction with UAL.