Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech. 2006; 16:131-136
Champault A, Duwat O, Polliand C, Rizk N, Champault GG
It is sometimes assumed that surgical intervention for obesity through laparoscopic banding is a quick solution . It is not. The objectives of obesity surgery are not only the reduction of body weight, but also the improvement of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
A study was conducted from October 1999 to January 2001 involving 152 patients (119 women, 33 men). The quality of life (QOL) was scored using a questionniare derived from an index called the the Gastro Intestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI). This group was followed-up for at least 2 years, focusing on weight loss and QOL.
Body Mass Index (BMI) dropped from 44.3 to 29.6 (kg/m2) and all associated conditions improved markedly: diabetes resolved in 71% of the patients, hypertension in 33%, and sleep apnea in 90%. The average GIQLI score for the group before the operation was 95 which was much lower than that of the healthy volunteers (120). As patients lost weight, the global score of the group increased to 100 at 3 months, 104 at 6, 111 at 1 year to reach 119 at 2 years which is not significant ly different from that of healthy patients. Patients who have required successfull revisional surgery for late complications (6.5%) have an excellent QOL outcome that are not different from the whole group.
The authors concluded that together with a satisfactory reduction of the excess weight, laparoscopic gastric banding may lead in a carefully selected population of patients with morbid obesity, to a significant improvement in their quality of life (QOL), in at least 2 years follow-up.
Other studies with longer term data show equally positive results.
