title: Radiology of patients with vertical banded gastroplasty.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The authors evaluated the usefulness of routine traditional radiology in the management of patients submitted to VBG.
  
  
  METHODS
  Radiological findings in 65 subjects who had undergone VBG were evaluated. Post-surgical clinical and radiological examinations were performed 3 days, 1, 4 and 12 months after surgery. Upper GI symptoms, gastroesophageal imaging and 80% solid meal pouch emptying time were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The routine postoperative study, in the absence of clinical symptoms, showed no unsuspected complication in any patient, both in the early and in the late postoperative period. There was no significant correlation at 4 and 12 months between emptying time and duration of satiation, emptying time and percent excess weight loss (%EWL), and duration of satiation and %EWL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Traditional radiological studies can be safely omitted from both the immediate postoperative period and from the long-term follow-up in asymptomatic VBG patients. The studies were not helpful in understanding functional changes leading to weight loss after VBG.
authors.affiliation: Semeiotica Chirurgica R, Servizio di Radiologia, Facoltà di Medicina, Università di Genova DICMI, Ospedale San Martino, Genova, Italy. giovannicamerini@yahoo.it
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Camerini
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pretolesi
authors.forename: Giuseppe Maria
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Marinari
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Adami
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marini
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Papadia
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Murelli
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stabilini
authors.forename: Flavia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carlini
authors.forename: Lorenzo Egildo
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Derchi
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Scopinaro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015391:Gastroplasty; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011859:Radiography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013270:Stomach / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*