Laparoscopic gastric banding (Lap-Band) surgery was first introduced to Australia in 1994 and has become a widely used weight control surgical procedure in Australia and throughout the world.
About Gastric Banding
Gastric banding surgery involves placing a silicone band around the top of the stomach using laparoscopic (or keyhole) surgery.- The band is a hollow ring that can be adjusted with more or less saline to create a smaller or larger opening.
- The tightness of the band restricts the amount of food that can be eaten at any one time and prevents hunger between meals.
- The surgery is minimally invasive, adjustable, and totally reversible, and requires no cutting or stapling of the stomach, or gastrointestinal re-routing to bypass normal digestion.
- General anesthesia is required with this surgery. Laparoscopic surgery has the advantages of less pain, fewer wound complications, and a quicker recovery than traditional open surgery.
Advantages:
Significantly lower mortality risk than other obesity surgery procedures- Allows individualized degree of restriction for ideal, long-term weight loss Adjustments performed without additional surgery
- Keyhole approach means less scarring and faster recovery with return to work in 1-2 weeks and only an overnight stay in hospital.
- No malabsorption of nutrients, which means no pills or supplements following surgery
- You can continue to eat the same meals as your family, only a smaller portion size.
- You can expect weight loss to be between 2-4kg a month
- The gastric band is designed to stay in for life
- The band can be adjusted to increase or decrease hunger sensations.
- Completely reversible - this can be achieved by removing all of the fluid, or the band itself
- The Band is designed to stay in forever. It is likely that you will regain all of the weight that you have lost, if you have the band removed.
Disadvantages:
- Easy to cheat with high calorie liquid such as chocolate milk or alcohol.
- Certain foods such as steak and bread should be avoided
- Requires a commitment to long-term follow-up
- Not ideal if severely needle-phobic
Revision rate for surgery 5-10% due to:
- Pouch dilatation
- Food bolus obstruction
- Slippage of the stomach through the band
- Port/tubing leak
- Wound infection
Click here to find out more about Laparoscopic Gastric Banding.