Gastric Banding Surgery

Gastric banding surgery is a procedure used to produce weight loss in patients who are morbidly obese and have been unable to shed the weight any other way. This surgery is an advanced technique to the gastric bypass surgeries that have been done for several years.

With gastric bypass surgery, the stomach is surgically made smaller and reattached to the digestive tract. This forms a small pouch instead of a full sized stomach leading to the patient feeling fuller much faster and losing weight. The main concern with bypass is that the procedure is permanent.

Gastric banding surgery achieves the same result in a less invasive manner. Instead of resectioning the stomach surgically, a laparoscopic band is placed around the top of the stomach to create the same small pouch that you get with bypass. The procedure is as follows:

The surgeon will place a silicone ring around the top of the stomach using laparoscopic tools.
The band is then adjusted to squeeze the stomach into a small pouch.
There will be a plastic tube that runs from the device to the outer layer of skin, this allows the ring to be injected with saline solution and make the ring tighter. This can also be reversed if necessary to loosen the band.

The results with gastric banding surgery will vary but as a rule, the patient can expect to lose about 40% of their excess weight. This means someone who is 200 pounds overweight can realistically expect to lose around 80 pounds, however the results vary wildly.

Fewer Complications

One of the main reasons that gastric banding surgery is so popular is due to the lack of post surgery side effects. When a person undergoes bypass surgery, they can have significant nausea, vitamin absorption and wound complications.

With the band, the nausea can be limited or eliminated many times by adjusting the tightness of the ring, since there is no interference with food absorption the risk of malnutrition is practically nil, and when it comes to wound care the incision is so small that there is little to be concerned with.

Things to Consider

Anytime you are considering surgery of any kind you should carefully examine all the possibilities. Gastric banding surgery has fewer complications than most forms of bariatric surgery but it still entails some risk. You will have to be put under anesthesia and a surgeon will be performing an invasive procedure.

All of this must be considered and discussed with your family physician before deciding to undergo gastric banding surgery. Not only should you consider the risks but also the changes you will have to make in lifestyle and diet. Gastric banding surgery is not a magic cure for weight loss; there are commitments you will have to make to lead a healthier lifestyle for it to be completely successful.

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Gastric Banding Surgery

laparoscopic gastric banding surgery

Gastric Banding Surgery

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