Laparoscopic Gastric Banding Surgery: Pros and Cons
Laparoscopic gastric banding surgery is the second most widely performed restrictive form of weight loss surgery that induces weight loss by restricting the amount of food intake and making the person to feel full and eat less. The surgery is not a quick fix for obesity but it is an option for those severely obese people who are not able to lose weight through diet and exercise. People with BMI (body mass index) of 40 or more than 40 and suffering with weight loss co-morbidities like sleep apnea, high blood pressure and type-2 diabetes can be benefited from this surgery.
In laparoscopic gastric banding surgery, surgeon places an adjustable silicon band around the upper part of the stomach to create a small pouch, capable of holding only a small ounce of food. This restricts the amount of food eaten by the person and causes a feeling of fullness. The saline is injected into the band to make it tighter and the band can be further tightened and loosened as needed. This is the least invasive form of surgery and can be reversed if necessary.
The risks and complications with the laparoscopic gastric banding is minimal, however, there may be nausea and vomiting after the surgery. Bleeding, infection and band slippage can occur due to the vomiting. The band can deflate due to leakage. However, these are common surgical risks and associated with any type of weight loss surgery. Unlike, other weight loss surgery, gastric banding surgery does not include food malabsorption and therefore, it does not cause vitamin deficiency and dumping syndrome. Beside that risk of death following the gastric banding surgery is one in 2000.
On an average patient lose up to 40% of their excess weight after laparoscopic adjustable banding surgery. Apart from this, there is marked improvement in the health problems related to obesity like type-2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and high blood pressure. Although gastric band surgery is an effective weight loss surgery for a severely obese person, but it is not a miracle. For an optimum results, you need to follow restrict post-operative diet plan, exercise and other surgical guidelines.