With the Adjustable Gastric Band Procedures (either LAP-BAND® or Realize™ Band), an adjustable silicone band is fastened around the upper part of the stomach to create a new, smaller stomach pouch. The band is connected to an access port below the skin. Through the port, the surgeon can adjust the size of the band by adding or removing saline to an inflatable balloon on the inner surface of the band. Because the band is adjustable, the surgeon and patient can work together to customize the rate of weight-loss for each patient. The patient’s weight loss, the amount of food that can be comfortably eaten, the exercise regimen, and other issues surrounding the patient’s health determine adjustments to the band, which are performed during routine outpatient visits. The procedures are effective for weight loss because they reduce the capacity of the stomach, restricting the amount of food that can be consumed at one time.

Adjustable Gastric Band Surgery (LAP-BAND® or Realize™ Band) is performed through small incisions, resulting in less pain and scarring and short recovery times. Patients generally spend just one night in the hospital and can typically resume normal activities within about one week.

Adjustable Gastric Band Surgery (LAP-BAND® or Realize™ Band) has been shown to be an effective surgical option for weight loss, and it is rapidly gaining in popularity in the U.S. Since the LAP-BAND® and Realize™ procedures do not alter the digestive track, they are both fully adjustable and reversible. Weight loss with the Adjustable Gastric Band Procedures is more gradual than gastric bypass, but because of the adjustable nature of the band, the patient and surgeon can work together to control the rate of weight loss.

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In Gastric Bypass surgery, a small pouch is created at the top of the stomach and permanently separated from the rest of the stomach. A segment of the small intestine is attached to the pouch, allowing food to bypass most of the stomach and the first part of the small intestine. The procedure is effective for weight loss because it reduces the amount of food that can be eaten at one time and because fewer calories are absorbed by the body.

Gastric bypass can be performed as open surgery or as a laparascopic procedure. In the laparoscopic procedure, the surgeon operates through five or six small incisions in the abdomen. Using smaller incisions reduces the trauma, scarring and recovery time associated with traditional open gastric bypass surgery. Patients undergoing the laparoscopic gastric bypass generally spend less time in the hospital and resume normal activity quicker. However, not all patients are candidates for the laparoscopic technique, especially patients with an extremely high BMI or previous upper abdominal surgeries.

Gastric bypass surgery has been shown to be a durable and effective surgical option for weight loss. In the U.S., it is still the most common form of weight loss surgery. Most patients lose about half of their projected weight loss in the first six months, with weight loss peaking between 18 – 24 months.

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