NEW APPROACH IN SURGICAL-TREATMENT OF MORBID-OBESITY - LAPAROSCOPIC GASTRIC BANDING

Background: gastric banding has been performed for morbid obesity, wit h the last nine patients having a laparoscopic approach. Materials: fo rty-five patients who had undergone primary operations for morbid obes ity between 1986 and 1993 were selected for retrospective analysis. Al l patients had undergone gastric banding. Average pre-operative BMI wa s 50.9 (kg m-2) and average pre-operative weight was 135.1 kg. Results : the 3-year mean post-operative BMI reached 28.7 and the 3-year mean post-operative weight loss was 55.7 kg. Blood pressure significantly d ecreased from the mean 151/96 mmHg to 132/90 mmHg at 1-year follow-up. There were no significant changes noted in the levels of RBC, electro lytes and transaminase. There were post-operative wound-healing compli cations in 18.1% of the patients, wound discharge in 8.8% and incision al hernia in 8.8% of the patients. In 1993 we commenced laparoscopic g astric banding which enabled us to shorten the hospital stay and decre ase post-operative complications. Conclusion: we are achieving the sam e good weight-loss results with the laparoscopic technique as after 'o pen' laparotomy gastric banding.