Laparoscopic Gastric Banding
What is Laparoscopic Gastric Banding?
In this procedure, the surgeon makes use of a laparoscope for placing an adjustable silicone band around the upper part of the stomach. The stomach gets squeezed by the silicone band and becomes a pouch with nearly an inch-wide outlet. After Laparoscopic Gastric Banding, your stomach can hold an ounce of food.
A plastic tube is placed from the silicone band to a device right beneath the skin. Saline can be removed or injected through the skin, flowing out or into the silicone band. Filling the silicone band with saline water makes it tighter. In this particular way, the band can be loosened or tightened as required for improving weight loss and reduce side effects.
Candidacy for Laparoscopic Gastric Banding
The lap band surgery is not meant for everyone. If you are considering then here are a few things you should know to determine if you are the right candidacy for it:
- You should not be suffering from any other health problem that can trigger obesity.
- You should be more than 18 years of age.
- You have been obese for more than five-six years.
- You should weight twice your ideal weight or have 40 or higher BMI or weigh 100 pounds or more than your actual or ideal body weight
- You do drink excess alcohol
- You tried to reduce weight by following a stringent diet and exercise schedule
- You are willing to make changes in your lifestyle and eating habits
- You are prepared to undergo continuous monitoring by the bariatric surgeon who is treating you.
If you do not meet the ideal weight criteria or BMI, you might be considered for this procedure if your BMI is 35 and you are suffering serious health issues related to excessive weight or obesity.
Procedure
The entire procedure would be performed under general anesthesia. As you would be asleep throughout the surgery, you will not feel any pain. The surgery is performed using a small camera that is inserted in your stomach through the incisions made by the bariatric surgeon. The tiny camera is called the Laparoscope.
- The surgeon would make one to five small incisions into your belly. Through these small incisions, the surgeon would place a camera and other instruments required to perform surgery.
- The surgeon would place a band around the upper band of the belly to separate it from the lower abdomen. This helps in creating a small pouch having a narrow opening that goes into the larger, lower part of your belly.
- The surgery involves neither stapling nor cutting inside your stomach
- The entire surgical procedure will not last for more than two hours.
When you start eating after this procedure, the small pouch would fill up quickly. You will start feeling full after eating a small portion of food. The food in the small upper pouch would slowly empty into the main stomach part.
Results of Laparoscopic Gastric Banding
In the last few years, the number of patients undergoing this procedure increased. Even though the success rate of this procedure is high, many patients avoid it because of the chances of failure. A person can reduce nearly thirty-five to forty-five percent of excess weight. For instance, if someone is 100 pounds overweight, he or she can expect to reduce 35 to 45 pounds after lap gastric band surgery. However, the results of the procedure vary. If necessary, the procedure can be reversed and the belly returns to its normal size.
Advantages of Lap Band Procedure
- It is a reversible weight loss procedure
- It is effective and safe
- Quick recovery time and less scarring compared to other available weight loss procedures
- In most cases, it is performed as a same-day procedure using advanced laparoscopic technology
Side effects
Patients who undergo this procedure often face few problems as a result of the laparoscopic gastric band surgery. The risk of death because of this procedure is less than one in three thousand. Here are some of the most common problems that a person might face after this surgery:
Minor Surgical Complications – These include problems related to the adjustment device, minor bleeding or wound infections. Such complications also occur in less than 10 percent of the patients.
Vomiting and Nausea – These are usually reduced by making adjustments to the tightness of the band.
Contrary to the gastric bypass surgery, the lap gastric banding does not interfere with the absorption of food. For this particular reason, vitamin deficiencies are rare in this surgery. At Medtours4health, we can help you get contacted to some of the best bariatric surgeons in India. You can be assured to get the best results of this procedure.