Radiology of patients with vertical banded gastroplasty.
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.
Camerini
Giovanni
G
Semeiotica Chirurgica R, Servizio di Radiologia, Facoltà di Medicina, Università di Genova DICMI, Ospedale San Martino, Genova, Italy. giovannicamerini@yahoo.it
Pretolesi
Fabio
F
Marinari
Giuseppe Maria
GM
Adami
Gianfranco
G
Marini
Paola
P
Papadia
Francesco
F
Murelli
Federica
F
Stabilini
Cesare
C
Carlini
Flavia
F
Derchi
Lorenzo Egildo
LE
Scopinaro
Nicola
N
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*