Neuropathy following laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding: treatment with plasmapheresis

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is being increasingly utilized for therapy of obesity in the United States. It is a relatively newer technique and little is known about neurologic complications resulting from this procedure. We present a case of disabling peripheral neuropathy occurring after gastric banding. While this type of complication has seen following older weight loss techniques, it has only rarely been documented following adjustable gastric banding. The patient was treated with adjustment of the lap band in combination with plasmapheresis. Plasmapheresis is a novel therapy for treatment of this type of neuropathy and resulted in significant improvement in the patients' strength and functioning.