[Surgical treatment of morbid obesity--gastric banding]

Approximately 16% of male and 20% of female of the age from 20 to 65 years are obese in the Czech Republic. The restrictive bariatric procedure of stomach--gastric banding (GB) is one of possibilities to cure the morbid obese patients after failure of conservative therapy. The ratio of complications (5-18%) after GB presenting in various papers is comparable with the ratio of complications (4-23%) in others bariatric procedures. From 1993 to 1999, 517 morbid obese patients (mean BMI 51.1) underwent laparoscopic nonadjustable gastric banding (LNGB) at 1st Surgical Department, Charles University Teaching Faculty Hospital in Prague. As the early complications (during hospitalization) offered swelling of the gastric mucous in the place of GB in 5.6% (n = 29), the oesophagitis, the gastritis or the gastric ulcer in 1.5% (n = 9) and perforation of the stomach wall in 0.6% (n = 3). As the late complications offered the bleeding from peptic ulcer in 0.4% (n = 2), sequential migration of gastric band through the stomach wall inside in 0.6% (n = 3) and the slippage of anterior stomach wall or the dilatation of the pouch above gastric bandage in 5.1% (n = 26). The serious complications in 6.3% (n = 32) claimed surgical procedures. Other complications in 7.5% (n = 39) have been treated conservatively. The 86% (n = 446) of obese patients after LNGB were without complications.