Combined medico-surgical torsoplasty.

A combined medico-surgical treatment of obesity illustrates the possibility of achieving harmony of body contours with minimal scarring, risks to the patient, and effort on his or her part. Daily injections of 125 IU of human chorionic gonadotrophin, combined with a special 500-calorie diet, has proven to be a successful medical treatment in more than 6,000 patients treated over a period of 12 years. It had a rapid effect in reducing body contour circumferences over the full course of treatment, and offered the patient a sense of well-being and satisfaction. Mildly overweight responded to this treatment without surgery, a "knifeless torsoplasty." High-risk obese patients were prepared for subsequent surgery. Hypertrophic deformities in a single body area were corrected into a well-proportioned silhouette.