An older version of Lap-Band weight loss surgery could cause severe complications down the road, according to a study by Belgian researchers reported in the L.A. Times.
The Belgian researchers found that half of the studied patients, who were followed for at least 12 years, needed to have the silicone band removed in the 12-year period. In more than 25 percent of patients, the band ate away at the wall of the stomach.
According to Allergan, the Irvine, Calif.-based company that manufactures the Lap-Band, the surgical technique and the device have changed in the period since the patients' original surgery. The company also pointed out the study only looked at 151 patients from one hospital, and only half of those patients were tested by the researchers.
Forty percent of studied patients suffered a major complication of surgery, and sixty percent needed to have surgery again to correct a problem. The patients in the study lost an average of 43 percent of their excess weight.
Read the L.A. Times report on Lap-Band Surgery.
Read more on Lap-Band surgery:
-Weight Loss Centers Expect More Business Folllowing FDA Lap-Band Decision
-Bariatric Partners Opens New Surgery Center in Florida
-FDA Advisory Committee Recommends Approval for Lap Band Surgery for Less Obese Patients
The Belgian researchers found that half of the studied patients, who were followed for at least 12 years, needed to have the silicone band removed in the 12-year period. In more than 25 percent of patients, the band ate away at the wall of the stomach.
According to Allergan, the Irvine, Calif.-based company that manufactures the Lap-Band, the surgical technique and the device have changed in the period since the patients' original surgery. The company also pointed out the study only looked at 151 patients from one hospital, and only half of those patients were tested by the researchers.
Forty percent of studied patients suffered a major complication of surgery, and sixty percent needed to have surgery again to correct a problem. The patients in the study lost an average of 43 percent of their excess weight.
Read the L.A. Times report on Lap-Band Surgery.
Read more on Lap-Band surgery:
-Weight Loss Centers Expect More Business Folllowing FDA Lap-Band Decision
-Bariatric Partners Opens New Surgery Center in Florida
-FDA Advisory Committee Recommends Approval for Lap Band Surgery for Less Obese Patients