Adjustable Gastric Banding Surgery (laporascopic banding) features an inflatable band that is placed around the upper part of the stomach, dividing it into two unequal parts. The upper part acts as the new stomach, restricting food intake and promoting weight loss.
Adjustable Gastric Banding Surgery is performed through 4 or 5 tiny incisions. An inflatable silicone band is placed around the top portion of the stomach. The band is connected to a plastic reservoir or “port” which can be filled with fluid (saline solution). The port is placed beneath the skin on the abdominal wall for easy access.
Inflation of the band is accomplished by injecting small amounts of saline through the skin into the port. Inflation begins several weeks after its surgical placement. Subsequent band adjustments (inflation/deflation) are performed by the doctor throughout the weeks and months that follow until you attain a comfortable balance between eating restriction and weight loss.
Benefits of Adjustable Gastric Banding Surgery
The main benefit of laparoscopic banding is safety, with a 0.2% mortality rate and a 3-5% early complication rate.
- Adjustable gastric banding surgery features the lowest mortality rate of all types of bariatric surgery
- Least invasive bariatric surgical procedure
- No cutting or rerouting of the intestines required
- Low risk of nutritional deficiencies
- Easy adjustability and reversibility
- Generally good weight control in cooperative patients
Adjustable Gastric Banding Surgery vs. Gastric Bypass
While there are many benefits to Adjustable Gastric Banding surgery, there are also several disadvantages. Weight loss has been shown to occur more rapidly and over a longer period of time with gastric bypass. The reasons for superior weight loss stem from the small degree of malabsorption caused by bypassing nearly all of the stomach and the first two feet of the small intestine. To date, weight loss with gastric bypass has been much more consistent than with other gastric restrictive procedures.
Additionally, more than 20% of all Adjustable Gastric Banding surgeries in the U.S. require revisions during the first few years following surgery. Revisional surgery is performed for either device-related problems or unsatisfactory weight loss. The surgeons at the Center for Weight Loss & Metabolic Medicine regularly perform these revisions.
Our surgeons are ready to help you decide which bariatric procedure is right for you.
Is Adjustable Gastric Banding surgery reversible?
Yes, laparoscopic banding is reversible. Therefore, in the unlikely event that problems with the band develop, it can be removed through the same tiny incisions.
How well does Adjustable Gastric Banding surgery work?
Patients who have laparoscopic banding typically lose between 1-2 pounds per week. Studies reveal that patients can lose as much as 50% of their excess body weight and maintain their weight loss long term. A few patients will lose very little weight. However, patients who are compliant with their aftercare can have excellent results that compare well with other types of weight loss surgery at only a fraction of the risk.