Gastric Banding

what is Gastric Banding ?

The laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) procedure is considered a purely restrictive surgical procedure. In adjustable gastric banding a saline-filled silicone band is placed around the stomach encircling its upper part–the part below gastroesophageal junction- turning the stomach into two chambers connected by a narrow path. The gastric band decreases the total amount of food the stomach can hold, and by doing so, it induces a state of early satiety in patients with severe obesity.

Adjustable gastric banding procedure

The adjustable gastric banding procedure makes up about 10% of the total surgeries performed to treat severe obesity, compared to other procedures such as sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass.

The adjustable gastric band procedure uses a saline-filled silicone band. This band is connected to a device placed under the skin to control its tightness, as it can be tightened or loosened as needed, to control the amount of food obesity patient can consume, and the goal of this procedure is to limit the amount of food the stomach can hold to about one cup of solid food, and by doing so it suppresses appetite and helps obesity patients lose weight. 

The procedure of gastric banding only restricts the amount of food eaten, so it does not cause any problems in nutrients absorption and does not affect the anatomy of the alimentary tract much, unlike the traditional bariatric procedures such as gastric bypass, it doesn’t cause any poor absorption or malnutrition, so you need not take nutritional supplements after having gastric banding procedure done.

Weight Loss after Adjustable Gastric Banding

Gastric banding procedure leads to loss of approximately 45% of the excess body weight after two years of the operation. For example, if a patient has 50 kilograms of excess body weight, then by performing this operation they can lose over 20 kilograms of their excess body weight, and data has shown that many patients have maintained the lost weight in the long run.

What Are the Side Effects of Gastric Banding Surgery?

Adjustable gastric banding procedure is distinguished from the sleeve gastrectomy and other bariatric procedures used to treat obesity by its simplicity, reversibility, and lower risk of complications.

Probably one of the greatest features of gastric banding procedure is that it can be reversed if necessary and stomach can revert to its normal size by removing the ring. Moreover, gastric band enables the doctor to control the ring as it can be tightened or loosened as needed, for example, if the patient needs to be more restricted, or less restricted, the physician can control the ring accordingly.

As for complications, gastric banding procedure is considered a surgical procedure with a relatively high safety profile and minor complications, for example sometimes the patient can feel some nausea or vomiting, and these symptoms can be easily addressed by adjusting the ring.

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