%0 Journal Article %T Uso do termo de consentimento informado em cirurgia pl¨¢stica est¨¦tica %A Doncatto %A L¨¦o Francisco %J Revista Brasileira de Cirurgia Pl¨¢stica %D 2012 %I Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Pl¨¢stica %R 10.1590/S1983-51752012000300003 %X background: the informed consent form provides security for the plastic surgeon and the patient, and its use is recommended by the consumer's defense code. methods: a total of 100 judgments made by the courts of 5 brazilian states were analyzed, in cases involving aesthetic plastic surgeries. this retrospective study was conducted between july 2010 and august 2012 involving a total of 3,427 plastic surgeons. the most common causes of lawsuits and the evidence that led to conviction or acquittal decisions in these cases were assessed. results: there was an average conviction rate of 55% among the states under study (range, 35-85%). the average compensation for moral damages was r$30,900. the main surgical procedures that resulted in the lawsuits and the convictions were abdominoplasty, mammoplasty, and breast implantation. in the cases in which the physician was acquitted, there was a favorable expert opinion in 84,6% of the judgments, whereas adequate information was provided in 100% of such cases. conclusions: this study showed that a favorable expert opinion and the adequate provision of information about suggested treatments were instrumental in physician acquittal. %K informed consent %K plastic surgery %K jurisprudence. %U http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S1983-51752012000300003&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en