Obesity surgery: the lasting effectiveness of the Le Goff Technique

Dr. Le Goff - Obesity surgeon in Paris

Le Goff Technique

Obesity surgery: the lasting effectiveness of the Le Goff Technique

Paris, 2 August 2016 – The Le Goff Technique, named after the surgeon who developed it, Dr Jean-Yves Le Goff, confirms its safety and remarkable efficiency, with zero mortality and very few post-operative complications, according to the results of a new follow-up study on a series of 897 patients, over a period of 20 years.

It enabled obese patients to lose on average 64% of their excess weight one year after the operation, 66.3% at 18 months, 64.4% after five years, 59.8% after ten years, 100% after 12 years (out of 205 patients), and 59% after 15 years.

“We have enough hindsight to significantly appreciate the long-term effects on a large cohort of patients. What is remarkable over the long term with this method, is that extremely stable nature of the weight loss”, underlines Dr Jean-Yves Le Goff, specialist in obesity surgery.

The patients monitored for this study were aged between 18 and 65 with severe or morbid obesity, and a body mass index (BMI) of 35 to 59, or an average BMI per patient of 42.

The results were presented at the annual Congress of the French Society for Obesity Surgery and Metabolic Diseases (SOFFCO-MM) which took place in Nice from 23rd to 25th June.

Le Goff Technique

The Le Goff Technique is a new reversible, adjustable and non-invasive method of surgically treating morbid obesity. It consists of gastric band surgery (reduction of the gastric pouch by a band) and partial gastric plicature (the top of the stomach is folded down to cover and fix the band), combined with considerable psychological care.

“This procedure provides more lasting results than simple gastric banding without fixation, and with zero post-operative mortality and very low morbidity. Psychological treatment is essential in this disease, which is 80% to 90% of psychological origin. It is very important not to add mutilations to the existing health problems relating to their obesity”, underlines Dr Jean-Yves Le Goff.

Pre- and post-operative medical follow-up is just as important. Regular inflations of the band mean the link with the patient is maintained, reducing the risks of “forgotten” patients, unlike the sleeve and bypass procedures. This means that psychological trajectories and deviant behaviours can be corrected and changed.

“If we compare this method to the sleeve and bypass procedures, given the low morbidity and zero mortality, the absence of associated nutritional deficiencies and a much greater quality of life, it is a real alternative to offer obese patients in the future”, concludes Dr Le Goff.

About Dr Jean-Yves Le Goff

Dr Jean-Yves Le Goff is a laparoscopic digestive surgeon. Specialist in obesity surgery, he works at the Trocadéro clinic and at the Seine Saint-Denis (Le Blanc-Mesnil) private hospital.

Formerly assistant clinical manager and resident in Paris hospitals, he is the founder and former manager of the endoscopic surgery unit at Bichat Hospital (1988-97). He is also a founding member of the French Society for Endoscopic Surgery (SFCE), the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) and the Foundation for the Development of Laparoscopic Surgery (FDCL). He is also a member of the French Society for Obesity Surgery (SOFCO).