Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding in adolescents: Results at two years including psychosocial aspects

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Obesity now affects 3%-4% of the pediatric population and contributes to the increase in cardiac mortality in adulthood. Bariatric surgery is the best treatment for weight loss and the obesity-associated comorbidities in adults. We report here our experience of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) in adolescents. METHODS: The medical charts of the first 16 patients operated on in our center were reviewed. Data were compiled concerning weight loss, physical and biological comorbidities, health-related quality of life (QOL) and surgical complications before surgery and during 24months of follow-up. RESULTS: The maximal pre-operative median body mass index was 43.0kg·m(-2), decreasing to 33.0kg·m(-2) at 2years post-LAGB, which corresponded to a 49.2% excess body weight loss (p<0.001). Most comorbidities (glucose intolerance, hypertension and sleep apnea) resolved within the first year post-LAGB and QOL was improved on the PedsQL™ scales. No severe surgical complications were noted, with only three re-interventions for device failure (2) or band removal (1). CONCLUSION: LAGB is well tolerated in adolescents and shows a beneficial impact on weight loss and obesity-related comorbidities. Associated with global management, it may have a positive impact on patients\u27 QOL and social and psychological status

A Controversy That Has Been Tough to Swallow: Is the Treatment of Achalasia Now Digested?

Esophageal achalasia is a rare neurodegenerative disease of the esophagus and the lower esophageal sphincter that presents within a spectrum of disease severity related to progressive pathological changes, most commonly resulting in dysphagia. The pathophysiology of achalasia is still incompletely understood, but recent evidence suggests that degeneration of the postganglionic inhibitory nerves of the myenteric plexus could be due to an infectious or autoimmune mechanism, and nitric oxide is the neurotransmitter affected. Current treatment of achalasia is directed at palliation of symptoms. Therapies include pharmacological therapy, endoscopic injection of botulinum toxin, endoscopic dilation, and surgery. Until the late 1980s, endoscopic dilation was the first line of therapy. The advent of safe and effective minimally invasive surgical techniques in the early 1990s paved the way for the introduction of laparoscopic myotomy. This review will discuss the most up-to-date information regarding the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of achalasia, including a historical perspective. The laparoscopic Heller myotomy with partial fundoplication performed at an experienced center is currently the first line of therapy because it offers a low complication rate, the most durable symptom relief, and the lowest incidence of postoperative gastroesophageal reflux

Studies of interactions between conducting polymer and organic vapors, applications to chemical sensing

In order to understand the physicochemical mechanism involved in the organic semiconductor charge-transfer processes occurring upon doping of the films with vapor molecules different experimental approaches much be taken. The effect of vapor diffusion into the electrochemically deposited poly(pyrrole), PP and poly(N-vinylcarbazole), PNVCz, films was investigated by monitoring the mass change of the exposed polymer, absorbance changes in the absorption spectra, and the work function change due to the modulation of the Fermi level in the material. An important step in that investigation was to establish the link between the distribution of the active dopant within the surface and the bulk of the material (1)

Theoretische und technologische Grundlagen fuer die Entwicklung von chemisch sensitiven Halbleiterstrukturen Bericht ueber die Arbeiten zur Entwicklung chemisch-sensitiver Schichten fuer SGFET-Gassensoren. Zeitraum 1990 - 1993

SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: F94B1191+a / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekBundesministerium fuer Forschung und Technologie (BMFT), Bonn (Germany)DEGerman

[Longitudinal sleeve gastrectomy as a stand-alone bariatric procedure : results of a multicenter retrospective study]

INTRODUCTION: Sleeve gastrectomy as an isolated procedure is a new option in bariatric surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate its short and medium term (2 years) results in a multicenter setting. MATERIALS: This is a retrospective study including 446 patients undergoing surgery in 14 teaching, private, and public hospitals. RESULTS: The immediate post-operative course were uneventful in 83.3% of patients. Minor complications occurred in 10.9% of patients and major complications in 5.3%. Suture line leaks occurred in 4.3% of the whole series. There was no mortality and the rate of reoperation was 2%. Overall mean weight loss after two years was 32 kg and the mean excess weight loss was 62%. Weight loss was significantly greater in non super-obese patients (p=0.0003). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the feasibility of sleeve gastrectomy in a multicenter setting; it is efficacious at two years as an isolated bariatric procedure for non super-obese patients. It is possible that an additional second-stage procedure may be necessary for super-obese patients