Surgical management of obesity

Although surgery should be considered the last resort to treat morbid obesity, it is also the only treatment that works for this condition. In the era of minimally invasive surgery, laparoscopic adjustable banding and laparoscopic gastric bypass appear to offer the next logical step in the field of bariatric surgery. Laparoscopic gastric banding in particular has wide appeal since it demands less time and relative skill compared to the laparoscopic gastric bypass; however, knowledge of subtle details and expertise is required to reproduce favorable outcomes of permanent weight reduction and minimal complications. Still, there was a high failure rate of the LASGB in a multi-centre U.S. trail reported despite very promising results from Europe and Australia. Which procedure is more favorable, LASGB or laparoscopic GBP, is still under discussion and requires further prospective and comparative studies [26].