Treatment of morbid obesity using an adjustable gastric banding system

Morbid obesity is a serious disease that is responsible for several co-morbid conditions. Patients with a body mass index of over 40 kg/m2 will require surgical intervention if a dietary program fails. In the US, patients who are morbidly obese number approximately 8 million. At present, three conventional operations, with acceptable early and late complication rates, are performed most frequently worldwide: vertical gastroplasty (VRG), vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG), and gastric bypass (GB). In this article, we describe our experience with the LAP-BAND technique, and in particular with the new LAP-BAND adjustable gastric banding system (LAGB), which further reduces postoperative complications and reoperations.