GASTRIC BANDING FOR MORBID-OBESITY - 5-YEARS FOLLOW-UP

This paper reports on a five year follow-up of 174 morbidly obese pati ents (132 women) with gastric banding performed between 1981 and 1985. Mean pre-operative weight was 122.6 +/- 1.4 kg (s.e.m.) (body mass in dex (BMI) = 41.8 +/- 0.4 kg/m2) and mean overweight was 73.2 +/- 1.6%. After rapid weight loss during the first six months weight levelled o ff reaching a nadir at 12-18 months. At 12 months mean weight loss was 36.5 +/- 1.2 kg (BMI = 29.1 +/- 0.4.kg/m2). At 60 months BMI had incr eased to 32.3 +/- 0.6 kg/m2 (P < 0.05 vs. 12 and 24 months). Mean exce ss weight at 60 months was 33.5 +/- 2.4% with 47.5% of patients mainta ining less than 30% overweight. There were no differences in relative weight loss between men and women and no differences between stomal di ameter of 12 or 15 mm 60 months after the operation. Early post-operat ive complications occurred in 25 patients (14.4%), four of whom requir ed reoperation. Three of these re-operations were for perforations, on e of which was fatal. Forty-eight patients (28%) had altogether 60 lat e complications requiring 26 re-operations (14.9%). There has been a t otal of four deaths (one clearly unrelated, one unknown) in the series . We conclude that gastric banding is a simple and safe gastric restri ctive operation that is effective in about 50% of patients weighing be tween 90-181 kg (BMI 33-69 kg/m2).