The official names for restrictive surgery are:

1. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding – this surgery is more commonly chosen by bariatric physicians.
2. Vertical banded gastroplasty – people commonly call this stomach stapling.

Morbidly Obese? Should You Undergo A Gastric Band Surgery?

It all depends on the patient’s medical conditions, factoring in the risks of morbidity as a result of surgery as compared to going without. It takes the advice of a trained & licensed bariatric surgeon to help you determine these risks. As always, health is a personal issue, but there are known rates of morbidity that can be compared.

Laparoscopic gastric banding is the most common surgery that is undergone in the United States. With the high rate of obesity in the United States, there isa huge demand for this type of surgery that can give hope to those with morbid obesity.

1. About Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding Surgery

Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding Surgery is the next most used type of bariatric surgery in the United States, after gastric bypass. Laparoscopic describes the type of entry to the stomach region where the surgical instruments & medical devices are sent through a small incision in the body.

The most common form of Gastric Banding invollves using a silicone based band that is placed around the upper stomach to restrict the flow of food to the point of giving the patient a feeling of “fullness” before too much food is eaten. The total amount of food is one ounce as the band squeezes the stomach forming a smaller area for food to digest.

The Adjustable part of the name comes from the fact that doctors can adjust the size of the silicone ring around the stomach with the use of saline solution. Saline can be injected or extracted through the skin by the bariatric surgeon to make sure that the proper size of the band is maintained at the right diameter. Injection will fill the band and make the band tighter around the stomach. There are benefits to doing this when side effects are being presented by the patient. It makes the surgery essentially “reversible” and allows doctor to fine tune the weight loss process.

This will generally lead to a 40% loss of weight over the first year, however results vary from patient to patient. The average 300 pound patient will lose 120 pounds of weight following this type of weight loss surgery.

Low Complication Rate of Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding Surgery

The medical complications of this type of surgery is much lower than other types of bariatric procedure because the operation itself is much less invasive. However there are a few symptoms that gastric banding patients can possibly have happen. Sometimes the band needs adjusting but there are a few other things that can go wrong such as wound bleeding, infection, however the risk is low. Only 1 in 2,000 will die as a result of this surgery. The common problems with vitamin defiiciencies in traditional gastric bypass surgery is something that is non-existant.

2. All About Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG)

Vertical banded gastroplasty serves to restrict & decrease food intake with the use of staples and a plastic band around the stomach. This surgery is not as common as it once was, only 5% of all bariatric procedure, however it is still an option in some bariatric centers.

In this surgery, the surgeon places a band around the stomach and then staples it into a small pouch. This is irreversible and has a higher complication rate when compared to adjustable lap band surgery.

Sometimes there is a mix of Restrictive and Malabsorptive bariatric surgeries in weight loss patient operations. The stomach will be also rerouted in this case to a lower part of the small intestines.

For the people who need an answer to morbid obesity, the Gastric Band Surgeries are a God-send in most cases, if they can stick with the program and follow the advice of the doctors.