Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Obstruction: A Complication of Abdominoplasty following Adjustable Gastric Banding

Abdominoplasty performed after bariatric surgery has become an integral part of the surgical treatment of morbidly obese patients. A 45-year-old woman underwent abdominoplasty 2 years after placement of a gastric band, following massive weight loss. Two days after the procedure, she developed signs and symptoms suggestive of acute abdomen. An abdominal X-ray showed dilation above the level of the stomach antrum and distal esophagus. CT scan revealed complete migration of the gastric band below the junction between the body and antrum of the stomach. Three hypotheses were formulated as potential explanations for the cause of malposition of the gastric band. We report a case of acute upper gastrointestinal tract obstruction following abdominoplasty secondary to gastric band malposition. This complication has only rarely been reported in the literature.