Vertical banded gastroplasty:: Is it a durable operation for morbid obesity?

Background: Long-term follow-up is important in the evaluation of results of bariatric operations. The authors followed vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG) in an ongoing database. Methods: From 1986 to 1999, 123 VBGs were performed in one surgical ward. The series comprises 105 females and 18 males, with mean age 37 years and mean preoperative BMI 48.39 kg/m(2). The authors evaluated long-term results (patients followed, patients who underwent revisional surgery, success rate and complications), analyzed in 2000 and again in 2002. Results: With time, the percentage of patients in the follow-up decreased from 65 to 53%, the success-rate decreased from 46.16 to 32.79%, and revisional surgery for inadequate weight loss or complications increased from 9.61 to 29.51% in only 2 years. Conclusion: The weight loss of VBG was frequently not maintained in the long-term. However, we have previously found maintained improvements in comorbidities.