Long-term pulmonary complications after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.

Author: Alamoudi OS

Author affiliation: Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. dramoudi@yahoo.com

Publication date & source: 2006.12, Obes Surg., 16(12):1685-8.

Publication type: Case Reports

Early pulmonary complications following laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) have been rare, while long-term pulmonary complications have not been reported. Herein, we report two patients who presented 2 and 3 years after LAGB with unexpected pulmonary complications. The first patient had aspiration pneumonia secondary to stomal obstruction and esophageal reflux. The second patient had left lobar pneumonia, in which the connecting catheter appeared as a linear structure within the consolidation. This may be due to migration of the connecting catheter through the diaphragm, piercing lung parenchyma. Both complications presented as asthma-like symptoms. Diagnosis could have been missed if not evaluated properly. A high index of suspicion and long-term follow-up are important for diagnosing such complications after LAGB.