Advantages: Adjustable Gastric Banding (AGB)

Unlike many of the more well-known bariatric procedures, the adjustable gastric banding operation has very quickly become renowned among health experts and patients for its safety and reliability.

The adjustable gastric band, or LAP-BAND, is a restrictive procedure, one of the latest additions to the list of weight loss surgical options. It is the only procedure that does not involve cutting the stomach or intestines. It’s also the only adjustable and reversible method.

Approved by the FDA in June 2001, the adjustable gastric band is the number one weight loss operation performed in Europe and Australia. More than 100,000 bands have been placed worldwide since 1993.

During the surgery, an adjustable gastric band is placed around the top part of the stomach to create a small (about 7 ounces) gastric pouch called a stoma. The inner lining of the band is a balloon that can be filled with saline to narrow the stomach opening, thus slowing the passage of food. The food spends more time in the gastric pouch, making you feel full and satisfied.

Additionally, the adjustable gastric banding operation was designed with laparoscopic techniques in mind. In this instance, the surgery can be performed via video camera which makes the procedure better for doctors. The recovery time is also nearly twice as quick, and the overall cosmetic appeal is better via laparoscopic treatment.

After surgery, the band will be adjusted periodically in your surgeon’s office, especially during the first year after the surgery, to maximize your weight loss while minimizing adverse symptoms. Adjustments are done non-surgically, through a port that is placed under the skin in the abdominal wall. A hypodermic needle is inserted into the port and saline is added or removed with a needle and syringe.

The weight loss with a gastric band is slower than with the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, but it is adjustable and fully reversible. It also carries a lower risk of gallstones.

Some of the Advantages of adjustable gastric band include:

• No cutting, stapling or rearranging of the intestines
• Good access to stomach for scopes that diagnose and treat ulcers
• Adjustable
• Reversible
• Fewer and less severe complications
• Can be adjusted during pregnancy to allow for adequate calories and vitamins
• Slower weight loss, which is healthier and causes fewer gallstones
• Vitamin deficiencies are rare