Gastric Bypass Information
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The LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Banding System for Weight Loss
The LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Banding System is
a form of weight loss surgery that is is becoming more popular because
of its lower costs and quicker recovery times.
The operation is also perceived as being less invasive
than the more commonly used Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure.
The laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding procedure
is often called LAP-BAND® system, after the inflatable silicon band
that divides the stomach, creating a very small stomach pouch with an
adjustable opening to the rest of the stomach. The diameter of the band
is usually about two inches, but the surgeon can adjust its diameter
by pumping saline into it from a reservoir implanted under the patient’s
skin.
When the band is in place, the stomach takes on an uneven
hour-glass shape, with the smaller portion at the top.
Unlike the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, the gastric
banding procedure does not reroute the upper intestine. Weight loss
occurs solely because the size of the stomach is restricted. The adjustable
band decreases the amount of food the patient can eat at one time, but
does not otherwise interfere with the digestive process.
Because the procedure does not bypass any portion of the
intestines, patients who have the gastric banding operation don’t
usually experience one of the Roux-en-Y operation’s more uncomfortable
side effects, the dumping syndrome. After a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
operation the patient is unable to eat sugary foods, and some patients
are also unable to eat red meats and any food with high fat contents.
When patients attempt to eat these foods they become nauseous and may
vomit, making the experience extremely uncomfortable.
Since the lap band operation does not cause this side
effect, post-operative patients are still able to eat the foods that
originally led them to obesity, and for this reason long-term nutritional
and behavioral counseling is usually recommended.
Gastric banding patients do not lose weight as quickly
as patients who undergo the full gastric bypass procedure. This may
be the reason why many U.S. surgeons prefer to offer the Roux-en-Y operation
for their obese patients. Surgeons in Europe and Australia appear to
show a preference for the less invasive Lap Band surgery, because it
is usually safer.
Although weight loss is slower with the gastric banding
procedure, after 3 to 5 years both gastric banding and gastric bypass
patients show comparable weight loss, according to recent studies.
If no complications occur, a gastric banding patient can
expect to go home in a day or two after the operation. This helps to
reduce the total cost of the surgery, which may run around $14,000 to
$18,000 if there are no complications, as opposed to the commonly quoted
$35,000 to $40,000 that gastric bypass surgery will cost in the United
States.
The gastric banding procedure is less invasive than gastric
bypass, and there are fewer reported complications and deaths from this
type of surgery. However, complications do occasionally occur, and a
second operation is sometimes needed. A recent study that looked at
the records of 300 gastric banding patients found a 5% complication
rate, while other studies have found the rate of complications to be
higher. Some patients will need a second operation due to band slippage
or because the stomach pouch becomes dilated.
As with all patients who undergo rapid weight loss, gall
stones are common, and long-term nutritional and behavioral counseling
is needed for the best outcomes.
To read first-person accounts from people who have experienced
gastric bypass surgery, click
here.
Note: The information given here should
not be taken as medical advice. Be sure to talk to your doctor
about any concerns you may have about gastric bypass surgery.
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