Surgical treatment of morbid obesity is a recognized method of proceedingsin patients who did not obtain any positive results in conservative therapy. In October and November1998 laparoscopic implantation of the SAGB was performed among ten morbid obesity patients with meanBMI of 41.9 ± 3.6 kg/m2. It was the first experience in Poland. In this group we observed also non-insulindependent diabetes mellitus in five, hyperlipidemia in eight and hypertension in three patients. In thisseries, there was no mortality and no perioperative morbidity. The mean operation time was 158 +/- 51min. The mean hospital stay was four days after the operation. Median BMI reduction after four monthswas 4.7 ±1.6 kg/m2. Parallel to the reduction in body weight, there occurred a significant reductionin plasma concentration of glucose (111.0 ± 38.5 vs. 90.2 ± 20.8 p < 0.01), total cholesterol (223.8+/- 42.0 vs. 192.7 ± 21.3 p < 0.005), and LDL-cholesterol (140.4 ± 34.0 vs. 121.7 ±25.2 p < 0.01).Hypertension was still observed only in one patient. Nowadays laparoscopic gastric banding representsthe least invasive surgical treatment of morbid obesity. In our series laparoscopic implantation of SAGBseems to be an effective surgical method for the treatment of obesity. Substantial reduction in bodyweight was associated with improvement in metabolic control. Absence of mortality and morbidity is oneof the main aims in bariatric surgery which was achieved in our study. The results of the present, firstin Poland, preliminary study confirm previous observations that gastric banding is an effective treatmentof obesity.

Keywords: Blood Glucose, Body Mass Index, Cholesterol, Comorbidity, Diabetes Mellitus, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Follow-Up Studies, Hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipidemia, Hypertension, Laparoscopy, Lipoproteins, LDL Cholesterol, Obesity, Obesity, Morbid, Poland, Prosthesis Design, Prosthesis Implantation, Stomach, Triglycerides, Weight Loss