Lap-Band Outcomes Called Poor
Nearly half of patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric banding for obesity eventually needed to have the devices removed because of erosion or some other malfunction, researchers said. (March 21,2011)
Nearly half of patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric banding for obesity eventually needed to have the devices removed because of erosion or some other malfunction, researchers said. (March 21,2011)
Among 82 patients followed for at least 12 years after lap-band surgery at a single institution, 49 had at least one reoperation for complications or device failure, according to Jacques Himpens, MD, of Saint Pierre University Hospital in Brussels, and colleagues.
They also reported online in Archives of Surgery that 41 had the bands removed during follow-up, with 14 then undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. In all but a few cases, inadequate weight loss or device breakdown was the reason for band removal.
Action Points
* Note that, at present, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass are the bariatric procedures most frequently used in the U.S.
* Point out that in this study, of 82 patients, 50% eventually had their band removed for several issues.
* Point out that this and other studies indicated in an invited critique suggest that banding may be an easier operation, and the choice of procedure therefore should depend upon conversations between physicians and patients concerning the pros and cons of each.
“The high failure rate of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, at least in our hands, could be detrimental to its future continued widespread use as a restrictive weight-loss operation,” Himpens and colleagues wrote.
The Mini-Gastric Bypass (MGB) 
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