Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding

The introduction of laparoscopic adjustable silicone gastric banding (LASGB) has recently revolutionized gastric restrictive procedures in the treatment of mor-bid obesity. We analysed the short and long term re-sults of this minimally invasive bariatric procedure. A total of 652 patients with a body mass of (median) 45 kg/m2 were treated. There were only minor preopera-tive incidents. One patient died more than one month after the procedure. Early postoperative complications included 2 gastric perforations caused by a nasogastric tube and one early slipping of the band. Late complica-tions occurred in 7 % of the patients: 25 patients suf-fered a pouch dilation, 2 patients had gastric erosion by the band; 18 patients had port complications requiring reoperation. Loss of excess weight was 62 % at 2 years. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is a safe and effective treatment for morbid obesity. The most fre-quent complication is pouch dilation. Further study is warranted for the evaluation of long term results