Gastroplasty as a surgical treatment of obesity. Experience of over 400 operations.

Morbid obesity is an illness in itself and causes associated pathologies. Medical and diet treatments being most often ineffective, the surgical alternative has been considered. This study considers a series of 415 patients operated on, at the Bariatric Surgical Centre at the Hospital of Huy, Belgium, from 1983 to 1992. The used techniques are the "Vertical Banded Gastroplasty" described by Mason and more recently the "Adjustable Silicone Gastric Banding" proposed by Kuzmak. With only a small complications' rate, we register 85% of successes in terms of excess weight loss as well as a clear improvement of obesity associated pathologies.