A Systematic Review of Gastric Plication for the Treatment of Obesity

Background: Laparoscopic gastric plication (LGP) is a relatively new restrictive bariatric procedure that requires no gastrectomy or foreign body placement.

Objectives: The authors' aim in this article is to conduct a systematic review of the currently available literature regarding the outcomes of LGP for the treatment of obesity.

Setting: University Hospital, China

Methods: The authors' systematic review yielded 14 studies encompassing 1,450 LGP patients. Perioperative data were collected from each study and recorded.

Results: Mean preoperative body mass index (BMI) ranged from 31.2 to 44.5 kg/m(2), and 80.8% of the patients were female. Operative time ranged from 50 to 117.9 minutes (average 79.2 min). Hospital stay varied from .75 to 5 days (average 2.4 days). The percentage of excessive weight loss (%EWL) for LGP varied from 31.8% to 74.4% with follow-up from 6 months to 24 months. No mortality was reported in these studies and the rate of major complications requiring reoperation ranged from 0% to 15.4% (average 3.7 %).

Conclusion: Early reports with LGP are promising with a favorable short-term safety profile. However, it remains unclear if weight loss following LGP is durable in the long term. Additional prospective comparative trials and long-term follow-up are needed to further define the role of LGP in the surgical management of obesity.