Silicone Elastomere Ring Vertical Gastroplasty: extended follow-up

Statistically significant long-term data have been noticeably scarce in the evaluation of various bariatric procedures. Bariatric patients who lost weight frequently experience drastic life-style changes and often exhibit denial to the extent that follow-up is impaired. In this study, a cohort of 100 consecutive patients who underwent silicone elastomere ring vertical gastroplasty is evaluated at 46-55 months post-surgery with 90% follow-up. Results indicate that the 24-month figure of 36% loss of the preoperative weight level deteriorates to 32% at 46-55 months, and the failure rate increases slightly to 25% (or less), primarily due to anatomic failure of the procedure. Failure due to lack of patient compliance occurs but is less common than previously thought. Silicone elastomere ring vertical gastroplasty remains one of the safest of the effective procedures available to the bariatric surgeon.