Bariatric Surgery Program

Programs and Services

Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band
(Lap Band®, Realize® Band)

The laparoscopic adjustable gastric band procedure (Lap Band®, Realize® Band) creates a small gastric pouch by encircling the upper part of the stomach with a silicone band. The band creates a narrow opening for food to empty from the pouch to the lower part of the stomach. There is no cutting or re-connecting of the stomach or intestines.

The band is connected by tubing to a reservoir placed under the skin of the upper abdomen. You cannot see the reservoir, but can feel it by pushing on your abdomen. The band can be adjusted and the opening from the pouch made smaller or larger based on diet tolerance and weight loss. This is done by inflating or deflating the band with saline, which enters the reservoir through the skin with a fine needle. On average, six –10 adjustments may be needed during the first year the band is placed.

As with the Roux en Y gastric bypass, after a laparoscopic adjustable gastric band is placed, patients are satisfied after eating a small amount of food and do not feel hungry. Weight loss after this procedure is slower than with the Roux en Y gastric bypass. Most people lose weight up to three years after band placement and can expect to lose 50 percent of their excess body weight over the first three years.

Date: Nov. 29, 2011

Online Editor(s): Richard Petre