"Reversible gastric banding" in surgical treatment of morbid obesity--results of animal experiments.

The basic principle of "reversible gastric banding" as a new surgical approach to morbid obesity treatment is the creation of a small fundus reservoir using a silicone cuff which is coiled around the stomach close to the cardia. The extent of obstruction corresponds to the amount of liquid in the cuff which can be varied by puncture of a valve implanted in the subcutis. The reversibility of gastric obstruction is the great advantage of this method as compared to vertical banded gastroplasty or gastric bypass. We studied this method in animal experiments using seven "Göttinger Minipigs". In two animals the objectives of the study were reached, the observed complications, mostly caused by the nature of the test animal, are analyzed and discussed. To our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature on animal experiments in bariatric surgery.