Bariatric Surgery Program

Highlights

Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding

The Bariatric Surgery Program at Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin also offers Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (LapBand), a newer alternative to gastric bypass.

Like the Roux Y surgery, LapBand is performed through several small incisions rather than a single large one. During the procedure, surgeons position a silicone band around the upper portion of the stomach, creating a small pouch that is separated from the lower part of the stomach by a narrow opening. When the patient eats, the pouch fills quickly and empties only slowly into the main part of the stomach. This produces a sense of fullness after just a small amount of food.

Following the procedure, the care team adjusts the size of the band based on the patient’s diet tolerance and weight loss. The band, which is hollow, is connected by a tube to a reservoir of saline solution positioned under the skin at the upper abdomen. (You cannot see the reservoir, but you will be able to feel it by pushing down.) To adjust the band, a caregiver inserts a fine needle into the reservoir through the skin. By adding or extracting saline, the band inflates or deflates as needed. Patients normally require six to ten band adjustments during the first year.

Not every patient is an appropriate candidate for LapBand. One advantage of the procedure is that it involves no cutting or stapling. In addition, although the band is meant to remain permanently in place, it can be removed at any time.

Patients who undergo LapBand experience slower weight loss than patients who have gastric bypass. You can expect to lose 38 percent of your excess body weight within the first two years. Most patients will lose weight for up to three years following the procedure.

Author: Bridget McFarland

Source: Deb Andris, Bariatric Surgery Program Nurse Practitioner

Last Review Date: October 13, 2005

Online Editor(s): Frank Lococo