title: Laparoscopic Swedish adjustable gastric banding: 6-year follow-up and comparison to other laparoscopic bariatric procedures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The advantages of laparoscopy over open surgery are well known. The aim of this study was to compare our results with Swedish adjustable gastric banding (SAGB) with other laparoscopically performed bariatric procedures (gastric bypass, LapBand, vertical banded gastroplasty).
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 1996 and December 2001, 454 patients (381 women, 73 men) underwent laparoscopic SAGB. All data (demographic and morphologic, co-morbidities, operative, and follow-up) were prospectively collected in a computerized databank.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean follow-up was 30 months (range 1-66). Average total weight loss was 35.5 kg after 1 year, reaching an average total of 54 kg after 3 years. Mean excess weight loss was 72% after 3 years, and the BMI decreased from 46.7 to 28.1 kg/m(2). Patients with co-morbidities reported marked improvement of their accompanying diseases. Complications requiring reoperation occurred in 7.9%. There was no mortality. The clinical outcome compared with the other laparoscopic bariatric procedures showed no significant difference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All laparoscopically performed bariatric procedures are very promising. The great advantage of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is that this operation is minimally invasive to the stomach, totally reversible and adjustable to the patients' needs.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, University Hospital Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Austria. reinhard.mittermair@tirol.com
authors.forename: Reinhard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Mittermair
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nehoda
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kirchmayr
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aigner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001317:Austria / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004867:Equipment Design; D004869:Equipment Safety; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015390:Gastric Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D015391:Gastroplasty / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012086:Reoperation; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013548:Sweden; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss