Ten-year weight loss evaluation after adjustable gastric banding in severely and morbidly obese patients

Abstract

Obesity is a major problem of healthcare systems in occidental countries. Adjustable gastric banding is a surgical technique used in France. There are few studies reporting the performance of this procedure in the long-term (more than 10 years). We evaluated the long-term results of this technique on excess weight loss in a unicenter retrospective study. Ninety-seven patients undergoing an adjustable gastric banding procedure in our center from 1999 to 2003 were included. The mean age was 35±9 years. There were 90 female and 7 male patients. The pre-operative mean Body Mass Index (BMI) was 43.02±5.7 kg/m². After surgery, the BMI decreased progressively to reach its minimal value at 22 months, with a mean of 32.96±7.4 kg/m². At 10 years, the BMI increases progressively to achieve a mean of 36.75±7.42 kg/m². The rate of banding removal was 35%, follow-up – 73%. Our analysis could not identify a factor that was able to predict success or failure. Better selection criteria and rapid tactic changes (revisional procedures) in cases of insufficient weight loss could improve the performance of this surgical technique.