Initial Experience and Result of a Swedish Adjustable Gastric Banding by Laparoscopic Approach in Thai Cohorts
Theerapol Angkoolpakdeekul MD*, Preeda Samlitpradit MD*, Daruneewan Warodomwichit MD**, Chulaporn Roongpisuthipong MD**, Paisal Pongchailert MD*, Surat Komindr MD**
Affiliation : * Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University ** Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University
Background : Morbid obesity is a growing problem in Thailand. Several surgical procedures are available for
weight reduction. The laparoscopic gastric banding has been shown to be an effective weight loss with a low
post or perioperative complication.
Objective : The aim of this report was to evaluate the early preliminary outcome of the laparoscopic Swedish
adjustable gastric banding operation in Thai cohort patients.
Materials and Methods : From November 2003 until March 2005, ten patients with a median age of 31 (range,
18-61) underwent laparoscopic Swedish adjustable gastric banding for morbid obesity at Ramathibodi Hos-
pital. Demography, clinical course and outcome including excess weight loss and peri-operative complica-
tions were reviewed and studied. Descriptive statistics were used for data summary.
Results : There were 3 men and 7 women with a median preoperative body weight of 142.5 kg (range, 98-164
kg), and median body mass index (BMI) of 49.2 kg/m2 (range, 40.3-62.4 kg/m2). The operations were success-
ful in 9 out of 10 patients with median operative time of 195 minutes (range, 125-275 minutes). One patient
with a BMI of 62.4 had a failed operation due to poor operative exposure from a very large left lobe of the liver.
None of the remaining patients required conversion to the opened technique. The mean hospital stay was 4
days with no perioperative mortality. There was no major post operative complication except one minor
wound infection. The excess weight loss was within the range of 33.5% to 62.1% during the short-term follow-
up (range, 1-15months)
Conclusion : The presented early preliminary result of the laparoscopic Swedish adjustable gastric banding
showed a good technical success with a significant short-term weight loss. The authors believe this minimally
invasive operation is appropriate for morbidly obese Thai patient. However, a longer follow-up study is
needed.
Keywords : Laparoscopic gastric banding, Morbid obesity, Surgical complication, Surgical device, Weight loss
