A Classification of Contour Deformities after Bariatric Weight Loss: The Pittsburgh Rating Scale | Semantic Scholar (2025)

The Pittsburgh Rating Scale, first presented in 2004, was the first all-inclusive and validated measure of contour deformities after massive weight loss and is considered applicable and sufficiently universal in a variety of clinical settings.

The Pittsburgh Rating Scale, a classification system that allows grading of 10 areas of the body on a four-point scale, has been devised and it is found that accurate classification can assist the surgeon in operative planning.

The moderate to good reliability found in this study validates the use of the PRS Rainbow Classification as a reproducible and reliable classification system to assess contour deformities after massive weight loss.

Most patients presenting for body contouring after massive weight loss have high-grade abdominal deformities with multiple rolls, and change in body mass index is positively correlated with deformity grade and more aggressive contouring procedures.

Body contouring surgery after MWL is a new and exciting field in plastic surgery that is still evolving and proper planning should lead to fewer complications and improved aesthetic outcome and patient satisfaction.

Monsplasty was found to be a simple and reproducible technique with favorable outcomes and low morbidity rates in patients after massive weight loss.

The rate of complications in limb contouring after weight loss is higher than the analogue esthetic procedures, and this step is to be included as fundamental in obese patients’ surgical therapy.

In carefully selected patients, preservation of the nipple-areola complex on a dermoglandular pedicle can aid in achieving an optimal aesthetic result.

With proper incisional design, monsplasty can be performed safely during abdominal contouring with high patient satisfaction to improve both form and function of the pubic region.

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Tight suture closure in full thigh abduction in the prone position results in improved treatment of significant saddlebag deformity and midthigh skin laxity in the massive weight loss patient.

Body contouring has proven to be an important part of the rehabilitation of the morbidly obese patient, and the records of 55 patients who experienced massive weight loss following VBG and then underwent abdominoplasty with or without mammoplasty/mastopexy are reviewed in order to assess the parameters which will be seen more frequently by plastic surgeons as bariatric surgery becomes more widely accepted and performed.

A practical classification of chin dysmorphology is introduced, which can be used to guide the surgeon toward the appropriate surgical approach to chin repair and logical surgical recommendations for lower face improvement were postulated.

It is concluded that belt lipectomy should be seriously considered for patients who present with circumferential truncal excess and for a select group of normal-weight patients and not recommended for the obese patient with excessive intraabdominal content.

A practical classification that permits the plastic surgeon to critically evaluate which is the best option to correct abdominal deformities considering specific areas of myoaponeurotic weakness is presented.

Ultrasound-assisted liposuction has recently emerged as a safe and effective method for the treatment of gynecomastia, particularly efficient in the removal of the dense, fibrous male breast tissue while offering advantages in minimal external scarring.

The inverted nipples of patients treated from 1993 to 1997 were divided into three groups by the authors' system of grading, useful for patient classification and analysis, systematic planning, and application of the proper surgical procedures.

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