ADJUSTABLE SILICONE GASTRIC BANDING - COMPLICATIONS IN A PERSONAL SERIES

Background: Morbid obesity is a very severe pathology, deriving partly from a psychological disturbance of nutritional behavior. Besides a b ehavioral therapeutic approach, surgery appears to be necessary to res olve associated diseases by causing a satisfactory weight loss. Adjust able gastric banding is a less-invasive, potentially reversible proced ure that guarantees an optimal quality of life. Methods: The authors h ave performed Kuzmak's gastric banding since 1992, with the lap-band a pproach since 1995; 183 patients were submitted to surgery, and 68 of these were operated by the laparoscopic approach. Average body mass in dex was 45.5 kg/m(2). The complications were always under control and have decreased since the introduction of the recent lap-band. Results: Gastric banding is still a very young procedure and it is difficult t o state definitive results yet. Preliminary results, according to our experience are satisfactory in terms of weight loss, without metabolic changes and without mortality. Conclusions: Our experience is encoura ging if patient selection is accurate and rigid. (C) 1998 Lippincott-R aven Publishers.