Lap Band Surgery

With the approval of Adjustable Gastric Banding by FDA in 2001, this procedure is on the rise as a restrictive bariatric procedure for the treatment of morbid obesity. This is a purely restrictive procedure; this means it only decreases the amount of food intake. During this procedure, a silicone band is placed around the upper portion of the stomach. The top part of the stomach is called pouch and it can only hold small amount of food. About 4-6 weeks after the placement of the adjustable band, under the fluoroscopic guidance the band is adjusted to achieve restriction. As it is an adjustable band it takes few trials to optimize the results. As a result the patient feels full with smaller amount of food and the satiety lasts longer. The band can be adjusted making the stoma tighter or looser according to the patient’s weight loss. There is no stomach stapling or rerouting of the bowels. The operation is performed under general anesthesia and most of the patients go home the same day.