Gastric Band Surgery | Gastric Banding

Traditional gastric bypass surgery (or bariatric surgery), such as the Roux en Y gastric bypass, has been used for many years now to tackle the problem of obesity for people with a BMI in excess of 40, or with a slightly lower BMI where other co-morbid conditions are also present. This form of surgery bypasses the greater part of the stomach by creating a small pouch at the top end of the stomach and separating this from the bulk of the stomach using a series of metal staples. In addition, it is common in most forms of gastric bypass surgery to also bypass part of the intestine.

Today however we are increasingly seeing the stapling process replaced by a plastic, or more accurately silicon, gastric band which can be fitted laparoscopically (using keyhole surgical techniques) and which can then be easily adjusted in size through a port which is placed just under the patient’s skin.

The use of gastric banding has become increasingly popular since its introduction in the mid 1980s and its licensing by the FDA for use in the USA in 2001. Its growth in popularity has also been helped along by its use by a number of well known figures such as Khaliah Ali, Brandon “Myzeria” Taylor, Joe Gannascoli (Sopranos) and Anne Diamond.

Today gastric banding surgery is probably the most widely used form of weight loss surgery in Europe and, in particular, in Australia where it now represents more than 90% of all weight loss operations.

The principle behind gastric band surgery, which is also referred to as lap-band surgery and is a form of restrictive weight loss surgery, is to reduce the effective size of the stomach from its usual 1000 ml down to as little as 15 ml by placing a band around the top of the stomach. In the commonly used laparoscopic adjustable form of this procedure a tube then joins the stomach band to a small port placed just under the surface of the skin which allows the surgeon to adjust the size of the band and thus the degree of restriction in allowing foods to pass from the newly reduced stomach into the main stomach.

Because this form of obesity surgery merely reduces the size of the stomach and does not bypass the intestine patients can follow a far more normal diet than that required by other weight loss procedures and avoids many of the dietary and other health problems often associated with gastric bypass surgery.

Gastric banding surgery causes you to lose those excess pounds more slowly and gradually than bypass surgery, although the results in the longer-term and similar. It also has the added benefit of curing, or at least reducing the effects of, several other conditions including diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea and high cholesterol.

Another benefit of course is seen in the cost of lap band surgery which is lower than that of traditional gastric bypass operations.

As with most forms of obesity surgery, gastric band surgery carries risks and is not without complications. Nevertheless, patients who opt for gastric banding will generally enjoy a shorter stay in hospital, a faster recover and fewer complications. In addition, one major benefit of the gastric band is the ability to adjust the band after surgery so that a patient’s progress can be carefully monitored by doctors and adjustments made to meet the requirements of individual patients in the critical post-operative period when adjusting to life with a greatly reduced stomach size can be difficult.

Despite the fact that the gastric band is a relatively new procedure there are now a variety of gastric band manufacturers (8 at this point in time) and as banding technology increases and surgeons gain experience in the gastric banding, there can be little doubt that the popularity of the gastric band will continue to grow.