BACKGROUND: The laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) is a minimally invasive, adjustable and reversible bariatric procedure. The present paper reports an initial 2 year experience at Royal Hobart Hospital, Tasmania. METHODS: Between February 1999 and June 2001, 207 patients underwent LAGB insertion (176 female, 31 male). The mean age was 43 years (range: 16-74 years). Mean preoperative weight was 125 kg (range: 83-210 kg) and mean body mass index (BMI) was 45.9 (range: 32.6-67.0). The Bioenterics LAGB (Inamed, Chullora, NSW, Australia) was used in all cases. The average follow up was 17 months (range: 3-24 months). Three patients were lost to follow up (1.5%). RESULTS: The average weight loss was 12.4 kg at 3 months, 25.3 kg at 1 year and 34.8 kg at 2 years. The average BMI was reduced from 45.9 preoperatively to 41.3 at 3 months, 36.9 at 1 year and 33.5 at 2 years. Reoperation for band slippage occurred in 24 patients (11%), and the injection reservoir required changes in 22 patients (11%). There were three perforations while inserting the LAGB, two non-fatal pulmonary emboli (1%) and two cases of deep vein thrombosis (1%). There has been no mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is a safe and effective method of achieving significant (P < 0.0001) weight reduction in the morbidly obese.
BACKGROUND: The laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) is a minimally invasive, adjustable and reversible bariatric procedure. The present paper reports an initial 2 year experience at Royal Hobart Hospital, Tasmania. METHODS: Between February 1999 and June 2001, 207 patients underwent LAGB insertion (176 female, 31 male). The mean age was 43 years (range: 16-74 years). Mean preoperative weight was 125 kg (range: 83-210 kg) and mean body mass index (BMI) was 45.9 (range: 32.6-67.0). The Bioenterics LAGB (Inamed, Chullora, NSW, Australia) was used in all cases. The average follow up was 17 months (range: 3-24 months). Three patients were lost to follow up (1.5%). RESULTS: The average weight loss was 12.4 kg at 3 months, 25.3 kg at 1 year and 34.8 kg at 2 years. The average BMI was reduced from 45.9 preoperatively to 41.3 at 3 months, 36.9 at 1 year and 33.5 at 2 years. Reoperation for band slippage occurred in 24 patients (11%), and the injection reservoir required changes in 22 patients (11%). There were three perforations while inserting the LAGB, two non-fatal pulmonary emboli (1%) and two cases of deep vein thrombosis (1%). There has been no mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is a safe and effective method of achieving significant (P < 0.0001) weight reduction in the morbidly obese.
Authors: Christine Stroh; D Birk; R Flade-Kuthe; M Frenken; B Herbig; S Höhne; H Köhler; V Lange; K Ludwig; R Matkowitz; G Meyer; P Pick; Th Horbach; S Krause; L Schäfer; M Schlensak; E Shang; T Sonnenberg; M Susewind; H Voigt; R Weiner; S Wolff; A M Wolf; U Schmidt; F Meyer; H Lippert; Th Manger Journal: Obes Surg Date: 2009-05-05 Impact factor: 4.129