Is it time to formally review indications and regulatory standards of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding?

The technical simplicity of the surgical procedure and early promising short-term results of the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (AGB) made it one of the most commonly used bariatric surgical techniques in the United States and worldwide. However, since its peak around 2009, AGB utilization has declined quickly, and estimates show that only approximately 6300 new AGBs, or 3% of all bariatric surgeries, were done in the United States in 2017 [1]. The reasons behind the dramatic reduction in utilization of AGB in recent years are the suboptimal weight loss with the procedure in most patients, associated common mechanical complications, and the very high reoperation, removal, or revision rate of AGB [2 –4].
Source: Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases - Category: Surgery Authors: Tags: Editorial comment Source Type: research