Laparoscopic gastric banding for morbid obesity

Morbid obesity is a serious disease that is responsible for several comorbid conditions. Body mass indices >40 require surgical procedures if diet programs fail. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB), a more recently introduced gastric restrictive procedure, was designed to be a minimally invasive and reversible operation. 184 patients (164 women, 20 men) with a mean body mass index of 47.8 kg/m(2) (range 36-79) were operated on. All patients had been excessively overweight for >5 years. Each patient was given general anesthesia, and an adjustable LAP-BAND was implanted laparoscopically. The pouch size was 15 ml in all cases; and 3-4 sutures were placed to prevent dislocation. The conversion rate was 0%. The median operating time was 65 min (range 45-190). The mortality was 0%. The mean hospital stay was 5 days (range 4-6). The mean excess weight loss was 16% in 4 weeks, 23% in 3 months, 31% in 6 months, 58% in 1 year, and 87% in 2 years. The patient satisfaction index was 97.6%. Once a surgeon has acquired the necessary laparoscopic surgical experience, LAGB is a feasible, safe, and simple procedure with excellent postoperative results. LAGB does not permanently modify the anatomy of the stomach and maintains the natural continuity of the alimentary tract, while at the same time ensuring a steady weight reduction in morbidly obese patients. The fact that the gastric band can be applied laparoscopically is a significant advantage in this group of high-risk patients, who have less pain, faster postoperative recovery, more rapid return to normal activities, fewer wound infections, fewer hernia problems, and better cosmetic results. The rate of postoperative complications is similar to 9%. In 1.1% of patients, erosion occurred, and in 2.2%, slippage of the band. The rate of port-related complications was 3.2%. Reoperations were necessary in 6.4% of the patients.