Laparoscopic gastric banding
Alternative Names: Lap-Band; LAGB; Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding; Bariatric surgery - laparoscopic gastric banding
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
Description of Procedure
You will receive general anesthesia before this surgery. You will be asleep 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 1 to 5 small surgical cuts in your abdomen. Through these small cuts, the surgeon will place a camera and the instruments needed to perform the surgery.
- 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 of Laparoscopic gastric banding
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
- Blood loss
- Infection, including in the surgery site, lungs (pneumonia), or bladder or kidney
- Heart attack or stroke during surgery
Risks for gastric banding are:
- Gastric band erodes through the stomach (if this happens, it must be removed)
- Gastric band may slip partly out of place
- Gastritis (inflamed stomach lining), heartburn, or stomach ulcers
- Infection in the port, which may need antibiotics or surgery
- Injury to your stomach, intestines, or other organs during surgery
- Poor nutrition
- Scarring inside your belly, which could lead to a blockage in your bowel
- Your surgeon may not be able to reach the access port to tighten or loosen the band (you would need minor surgery to fix this problem)
- Vomiting from eating more than your stomach pouch can hold
Learn more about Laparoscopic gastric banding
Reviewed By: Ann Rogers, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery; Director, Penn State Surgical Weight Loss Program, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
Copyright 2011 A.D.A.M., Inc.
