The Garrison Center for Healthy Living: LapBand Surgery for Obesity

Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding, or Lap-Band, has been approved for over a decade and is the most commonly performed surgery for weight loss in Europe and Australia. Performed through a small abdominal incision, it is one of the least invasive approaches to obesity surgery. It is also adjustable and reversible.

During this procedure, a thin, flexible adjustable band is wrapped around the stomach pouch, dividing it into two portions. The smaller size of the upper stomach pouch limits the amount of food that patients can eat at one time.

The size of the opening between the upper and lower portions of the stomach can be adjusted by tightening or loosening the band. This band is filled with saline, which can be easily increased or decreased during follow-up visits. The tightness of this banded opening helps patients feel full after eating, causing gradual weight loss in the two years following the procedure.

Benefits of Lap-Band
The ability to adjust the band is a unique feature of this procedure, providing patients with the ability to continually refine and adjust the size of the banded opening. Lap-Band does not permanently alter patients' anatomy, and it is even removable. Compared to other bariatric procedures, the post-surgical hospital stay is shorter after Lap-Band. Moreover, Lap-Band does not interfere with the absorption of nutrients.

Lap-Band Surgery for Obesity