Adjustable Gastric Banding for Morbid Obesity; A Report from Iran

Background: Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) was considered as one of the effective, less invasive methods which could help the obese patients to achieve their optimal weight without regaining the lost one. The recent article is a report of 165 patients who had undergone LAGB, while discussing the rate of their complications. Methods: Between January 2005 and February 2012, 165 obese patients had undergone LAGB in a single private surgical setting in Tehran, Iran. Patients with body mass indices (BMI) between 32 and 50 kg/m were candidates for the LAGB operation. The subsequent complications were recorded during the patient’s follow-up periods. Results: The patients’ mean initial BMI was 37±0.3 kg/m which became 29.4±0.3 kg/m after LAGB. The mean weight reduction was 21.4±0.9 kg during the 16.9±0.9 months follow-up period. Morbidity rate requiring reoperation was 9% (slippage, erosion and phrenic nerve irritation. Thirty-nine patients experienced complications, including 21 slippages, 11 port infections, six erosions and one phrenic irritation. Conclusions: Despite the complications being reported, LAGB is still a safe method with an acceptable efficacy in losing weight. To our knowledge, the important factor to obtain the appropriate response is selecting cases precisely. The complications could be managed by surgeons who are experienced in upper-gastrointestinal laparoscopic surgery. Otherwise patients need to be operated through laparotomy or referred to the bariatric surgeons.