Lap Band Surgery or laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) is a surgical procedure that includes placing a ring on the upper part of the stomach. It reduces the amount of food a person can consume at once and increases the feeling of fullness. The best results are visible when combined with lifestyle changes such as frequent exercise and a healthy, low-carb diet. It is a reversible procedure, so once a person regains control over their body weight, the band can be removed.
Gastric band surgery reduces the size of your stomach, limiting the amount of food that you can eat at one time. Because gastric band surgery does not require cutting or stapling inside the abdomen, and does not interfere with the normal digestive process, it is considered to be the least invasive of the bariatric procedures.
How Does Lap Band Surgery Work
Lap band surgery is a band made out of silicone that you place over the superior part of the stomach. It is connected to a port, which is placed subcutaneously, underneath your skin.
An adjustable band is placed around the top of your stomach, dividing it into a small upper pouch, capable of holding between two and four ounces of food, and a larger, lower portion. The gastric band assists with weight loss in two ways. The small stomach pouch limits the amount of food that can be eaten and helps you feel full faster. The rate at which the small stomach pouch empties into the larger portion of the stomach can be adjusted by adding or removing liquid from the band. Slower emptying keeps you feeling fuller for longer.
Benefits of Lap Band Surgery
There are several reasons why the gastric band is considered a good choice for weight loss. It limits food intake and reduces hunger, food moves through the digestive tract normally, avoiding the problems of poor absorption of vitamins and nutrients found in gastric bypass surgery. The stomach or intestines are not cut or stapled, so the procedure is reversible if necessary.
By having lap band surgery, you should have a fifty-seven to sixty-three percent excess weight loss in the first two years. The lap band is shown to provide between fifty-two and seventy percent excess weight loss at two years after surgery. A long-term study shows sixty percent excess weight loss is average at five years after lap band surgery. On average, overweight patients lose six inches in the waist, and six inches in hip circumference in the first year. The gastric band is effective in resolving type two diabetes in fifty-nine percent of patients; high blood pressure in forty-nine percent of patients, obstructive sleep apnea in forty-five percent of patients, and improving blood cholesterol in seventy-one percent of patients.
Is Lap Band Risky?
Although all weight loss surgery are associated with some risk, the lap band system shows less total complications, fewer reoperations, shorter hospital stays, and less illness within thirty days after the operation than both sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass. The gastric band requires follow-up adjustments at regular intervals.
The improper adjustment might not provide the feeling of fullness or may cause nausea and vomiting. The gastric band may move from the correct position on the stomach. This condition is called band slippage. The gastric band may erode through tissue, causing gastric perforation. The access port may leak or twist so that the band can no longer be adjusted.
You should discuss these with your bariatric surgeon when considering which surgery is right for you. Because the gastric band is less invasive and potentially reversible, it is a popular choice for many people.
In our next module, we will turn our attention to the criteria that you will need to meet to be eligible for weight loss surgery. Next: Schedule Bariatric Surgery
