Lap-Band Surgery
(Laparoscopic Banding)
LAP-BAND® Surgery is the process of
placing a prosthesis known as the LAP-BAND® around the
upper stomach to create a smaller stomach pouch that in
turn limits the amount of food an individual can fit
into their stomach. LAP-BAND surgery (a bariatric
surgery procedure) was approved by the FDA in 2001 and
gained increasing popularity in the weight loss world
from that point forward.
The procedure itself is minimally
invasive as lap band surgeons enter the stomach region
via small incisions and use surgical instruments to
insert the LAP-BAND. The main reason for having the
surgery performed is so that the individual having it
done will not only lose weight but keep the weight off
as well. This is a new method that is recommended for
those individuals who experience morbid obesity and have
tried to lose the weight but have failed in their
attempts to lose the weight and keep it off.
The LAP-BAND works by decreasing the
size of the stomach pouch. By doing so, individuals will
be able to eat to a certain point and then they will be
full. Individuals feel full much more quickly as their
stomach is a smaller size than what it was prior to the
surgery. After lap band surgery, eating habits will
change and individuals will follow lap band diet
guidelines. In addition, the LAP-BAND creates a small
stomach outlet which significantly slows down the
emptying process from the stomach into the intestines.
Both of these factors act together in order to aid the
individual in their weight loss goals.
The LAP-BAND procedure may not be
appropriate for all individuals who wish to lose weight.
Some individuals may be more receptive to the LAP-BAND
treatment than others would be. There are certain
individuals who may be eligible for the surgery such as
those who are 18 years of age or older, have a BMI of 40
or higher or weigh at least twice their ideal weight,
have been overweight for over five years, do not have
any disease which could have brought on the obesity and
countless attempts to lose weight have not met with real
success. The previously mentioned items are just a few
factors that individuals may possess which may make them
candidates for surgery.
If you would like more information about
the Lap-Band, Gastric Bypass or other surgical weight
loss procedures, please contact
us.
