[Value of radiological imaging after laparoscopic gastric banding]

Over the past years "laparoscopic gastric banding" has evolved to one of the leading surgical techniques for the treatment of patients with morbid obesity. Mainly two systems are used worldwide; the "LAP BAND" (ASGB--Adjustable Silicone Gastric Banding) and the "Swedish Band" (SAGB--Swedish Adjustable Gastric Banding) which may both be implanted laparoscopically around the proximal stomach at a suprabursal position, about 2 cm distally to the cardia, with the intention to create a small pouch and, therefore, to provide an earlier satiation. Both systems show only minor differences regarding their consistency and their opacity as well as regarding the volume of the system. However, the working mechanisms and the principal techniques of surgical implantation, luminal adjustment and management of postoperative weight loss as well as the way how to perform radiological controls in these patients are quite similar in both systems. Although these patients might be managed postoperatively by the clinicians alone, it has become well accepted over the past years that radiological controls are not only important for an exact luminal adjustment but crucial for the management of an ideal postoperative weight loss and for the detection of various postoperative complications. This article describes the radiographic appearances of both systems, instructs how to perform postoperative radiological controls in these patients and provides an overview of the known postoperative complications together with some recommendations regarding their therapeutic approach.