That thread seemed like productive and civil discussion to me. While I don't pretend to have been following everything minute by minute, I didn't notice anyone becoming hostile or taking shots at other forum members. I think members discussing the pros and cons of each surgeon in a subjective manner is part of the reason that forums like this exist, and doctors or members who post their results on the forums are inviting a certain level of discussion regarding the result.
This does not mean that anyone needs to be hateful or aggressive in the context of this discussion, and if something along these lines ended up being posted that's not okay, but it seems to me like a situation like that would warrant a moderation of the offending comment itself rather than the removal of the entire discussion.
To me, this seems counterintuitive to the discourse and support we are all presumably looking to the forums for. If the OP requested removal of the thread for some reason, that would also be another story, but I didn't see anything that would have indicated that. Threads like that one have proven to be an invaluable educational resource for me over the years.