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Pregnancies after adjustable gastric banding
H G Weiss1, H Nehoda, B Labeck
1Department of General Surgery, University Hospital of Innsbruck, Austria. helmut.weiss@uibk.ac.at
Background:
We evaluated outcome of pregnancies of morbidly obese women who are within the first 2 years after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.
Methods:
215 morbidly obese women of reproductive potential (age 18-45 years), who had agreed to remain on reliable contraceptives for 2 years after surgery, were retrospectively analyzed following bariatric surgery.
Results:
7 unexpected pregnancies were observed. 5 pregnancies were full-term (3 vaginal and 2 cesarean deliveries). The birth weights ranged from 2110 g to 3860 g. 2 women had first trimester miscarriages. All gastric bands were completely decompressed due to nausea and vomiting, resulting in further weight gain. 2 serious band complications were observed (1 intragastric band migration and 1 balloon defect), which required re-operation.
Conclusions:
Pregnancy in morbidly obese women soon after adjustable gastric banding may occur unexpectedly during a period of weight loss. Prophylactic fluid removal from the band eliminates the efficacy of the obesity treatment. Moreover, this cohort shows an increased incidence of spontaneous abortions and band-related complications.