QUALITY-OF-LIFE AFTER GASTROPLASTY IS NORMAL - A CONTROLLED-STUDY

Objective: To assess the quality of life of patients 11/2-51/2 years a fter vertical banded gastroplasty for morbid obesity. Design: Retrospe ctive study by questionnaire. Setting: University hospital, Sweden. Su bjects: 102 of the 127 patients (80%) operated on for morbid obesity b etween January 1989 and February 1993 responded to the questionnaire. 74 patients who underwent routine cholecystectomy were matched for age and time of surgery, of whom 55 (74%) responded to the questionnaire and acted as controls. Intervention: Standardised questionnaire of 112 items, 28 of which referred to problems with eating (Gothenburg Quali ty of Life Scale). Main outcome measures: Differences in scores betwee n the groups. Results: Gastroplasty caused profound changes in patient s' lives, cholecystectomy did not. This was reflected in self esteem, relations with partners, and social networking for both sexes. There w as no difference between groups in overall quality of life, the mean ( SEM) scores for women being 5.32 (0.09) compared with 5.33 (0.07) and for men 5.32 (0.17) compared with 5.40 (0.14). Conclusion: Vertical ba nded gastroplasty seems to offer morbidly obese patients not only redu ction in weight but also improved quality of life.