An unusual complication of gastric banding: recurrent small bowel obstruction caused by the connecting tube.

Author: Zappa MA, Lattuada E, Mozzi E, Francese M, Antonini I, Radaelli S, Roviaro G

Author affiliation: Fondazione Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Mangiagalli e Regina Elena, and Universita' degli Studi di Milano, Italy. marcoantoniozappa@libero.it

Publication date & source: 2006.07, Obes Surg., 16(7):939-41.

Publication type: Case Reports

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) is a widely performed surgical procedure for morbid obesity. The application of this mini-invasive approach has given the benefits of shorter hospital stay, less postoperative pain and quicker functional recovery. LAGB complications are related either to the access-port, such as port-site infection or tubing disconnection, or to the band, such as band slippage, pouch dilatation, or intragastric migration. We report a case of recurrent small bowel obstruction caused by the connecting tube around a jejunal loop, in a woman who had under-gone LAGB 3 years before. The diagnosis was difficult to establish because the clinical history and examination were non-specific. A 3-dimensional CT scan was needed to explain the cause of the recurrent abdominal pain, and the small bowel loop was freed from the connecting tube at laparoscopy.