Laparoscopic gastric banding

Definition

Laparoscopic gastric banding is surgery to help with weight loss. The surgeon places a band around the upper part of your stomach to create a small pouch to hold food. The band limits the amount of food you can eat by making you feel full after eating small amounts of food.

After surgery, your doctor can adjust the band to make food pass more slowly or quickly through your digestive system.

See also: Gastric bypass surgery

Alternative Names

Lap-Band; LAGB; Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding; Bariatric surgery - laparoscopic gastric banding

Description

You will receive general anesthesia before this surgery. This will make you unconscious and unable to feel pain.

The surgery is done using a tiny camera that is placed in your belly. This type of surgery is called laparoscopy. The camera is called a laparoscope. It allows your surgeon to see inside your belly. In this surgery:

• Your surgeon will make 2 to 5 small incisions (cuts) in your abdomen. The surgeon will pass the laparoscope through one of these openings. It will be connected to a video monitor in the operating room. Your surgeon will look at the monitor to see inside your belly. Your surgeon will insert thin surgical instruments through the other openings.
• Your surgeon will place a band around the upper part of your stomach to separate it from the lower part. This creates a small pouch that has a narrow opening that goes into the larger, lower part of your stomach.
• The surgery does not involve any cutting or stapling inside your belly.
• Your surgery may take only 30 to 60 minutes if your surgeon has done a lot of these procedures.

When you eat after having this surgery, the small pouch will fill up quickly. You will feel full after eating just a small amount of food. The food in the small upper pouch will slowly empty into the main part of your stomach.

Weight-loss surgery may increase your risk for gallstones. Your doctor may recommend having a cholecystectomy (surgery to remove your gallbladder) before your surgery.

Risks

Risks for any anesthesia are:

• Allergic reactions to medicines
• Breathing problems

Risks for any surgery are:

• Blood clots in the legs that may travel to your lungs
• Infection, including in the incision, lungs (pneumonia), or bladder or kidney
• Blood loss
• Heart attack or stroke during surgery

Risks for gastric banding are:

• Injury to your stomach, intestines, or other organs during surgery.
• The gastric band may slip partly out of place
• Scarring inside your belly. This could lead to an obstruction (blockage) in your bowel in the future.
• Your surgeon may not be able to reach the access port to tighten or loosen the band. Fixing this problem would require a minor operation.
• Gastritis (inflamed stomach lining), heartburn, or stomach ulcers
• Poor nutrition
• Vomiting from eating more than your stomach pouch can hold