Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding for massive superobesity ( > 60 body mass index kg/m²)

Surgery for massive super obesity is a formidable challenge. No existing open or laparoscopic procedure reduces BMI below 30 from a starting point above 55. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding has been used to treat 76 massive super obese patients with a BMI > 60 kgs/m². Median weight was 193 kgs +/-34.7 kgs (154–335 kgs). Five patients had a BMI > 100 kgs/m². There was neither mortality nor pulmonary emboli. hospital stay was 3 days (1–6 days). Excess weight loss was 46.69 +/-10.5 at 1 year; 59.14 +/- 11.7% at 3 years and 61 +/- 15.1% at 5 years. At 2 years, 84% of the patients had greater than 50% excess weight loss and this was maintained at 3, 4, and 5 years. BMI fell from 69 +/- 6.2 to 49 +/- 7.73 at 1 year to 37 +/- 4.45 at 3 years and this was maintained at 4 and 5 years. BMI in 13 patients with > 5 year follow up was 35.09 +/- 53 kgs/m² (27–44). Weight loss with laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding in this group of massive super obese patients has been similar to all other surgical techniques with reduction of BMI from 69 to 33 kgs/m² at 3 years. The relative safety of the Lapband avoids bowel surgery in these very big patients, suggesting that laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is a valid surgical approach to these difficult patients.