Thaindian News

Washington, Mar 22 (ANI): A new study has found that undergoing laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding for morbid obesity is associated with relatively poor long-term outcomes.

In a study of 82 patients who were evaluated 12 or more years after this technique, a majority of patients reported that they were satisfied, although approximately 40 percent experienced major complications and nearly half required removal of their bands.

“There is substantial evidence that surgery is the only valid treatment for morbid obesity,” the authors said. “Presently, the most commonly performed techniques are laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, which is also typically performed laparoscopically.”

Jacques Himpens, and colleagues at the European School of Laparoscopic Surgery, Saint Pierre University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium, conducted a clinical assessment of patients 12 or more years after undergoing LAGB to determine the long-term efficacy and safety of the surgery for morbid obesity.

“Based on a follow-up of 54.3 percent of patients, LAGB appears to result in a mean excess weight loss of 42.8 percent after 12 years or longer,” the authors report.

Thirty-nine percent of patients experienced major complications, and 22 percent experienced minor complications. Nearly half the patients required removal of their gastric bands and nearly 60 percent needed additional operations.

The report has been posted online and will appear in the July print issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. (ANI)