Lap Bands May Result in More Complications Than Weight Loss
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Almost half of patients undergoing gastric banding for obesity needed to have the device removed, often because of erosion, according to a study that found the treatment caused more complications than weight loss.
About 60 percent of the 82 patients with the device, Allergan Inc.’s Lap-Band, followed over 12 years or more needed additional operations, according to a study by Belgian researchers published online today by the Archives of Surgery. The minimally invasive surgery led to weight loss of 18 percent in 70 patients where data was available.