Does the intragastric balloon have a predictive role in subsequent LAP-BAND(®) surgery? Italian multicenter study results at 5-year follow-up.

Background: The intragastric balloon has been reported to be a safe and effective tool for temporary weight loss. The aim of this study is the evaluation of the possible predictive role of intragastric balloon when used before laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.

Methods: A longitudinal multicenter study was conducted in patients with body mass index (BMI)>35 kg/m(2) who underwent gastric banding with the BioEnterics Intragastric Balloon (BIB).

Intragastric gastric band migration: erosion: an analysis of multicenter experience on 177 patients.

Background: Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) has proven to be a safe and effective surgical treatment for morbid obesity. It can be a simple, fast, reversible, anatomy-preserving procedure. Despite these advantages, its long-term efficacy came into question by the occurrence of complications such as intragastric band migration.

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding via pars flaccida versus perigastric positioning: technique, complications, and results in 2,549 patients.

Aim: Retrospective multicenter analysis of the results of two different approaches for band positioning: perigastric and pars flaccida.

Methods: Data were collected from the database of the Italian Group for LapBand (GILB). Patients operated from January 2001 to December 2004 were selected according to criteria of case-control studies to compare two different band positioning techniques: perigastric (PG group) and pars flaccida (PF group).

LapBand System in super-superobese patients (>60 kg/m(2)): 4-year results.

Background: Bariatric surgery in superobese (BMI > 50 kg/m(2)) and super-superobese (BMI > 60 kg/m(2)) patients can be a formidable technical and therapeutic challenge because these patients often present multiple medical, surgical, and anesthetic risks. Only a few dedicated reports on different surgical options in this kind of patient population are available. The aim of this study is the evaluation of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) results in an unselected populations of super-superobese patients operated during the last 4 years.