The lap-band usually uses laparoscopic techniques to implant a gastric band, an inflatable silicone prosthetic device, in the patient's abdomen. During the procedure, a silicon band is passed around the upper stomach, creating a new, tiny stomach pouch, or stoma, which controls the amount of food entering the stomach, notes the Columbia University Medical Center. The lap-band surgery helps lose weight by reducing the stomach's capacity to consume large amounts of food at one time. It also slows down the time it takes for the stomach to empty; as a consequence, the patients are satisfied with smaller amounts of food.
Lap Band Procedures
During surgery, patients usually will be under a general anesthetic. The abdomen is expanded by pumping carbon dioxide, a gas that naturally occurs in the body, into the abdomen, giving a clear view of the inside of the body. The surgeon then makes a series of small cuts, or incisions, near the belly button, and inserts slim tubes and a small laparoscopic camera which sends a picture of the stomach and abdominal cavity to a video monitor. The surgeon will watch this video to guide his instruments. An inflatable silicon band is fastened around the upper portion of the stomach to create a new, small upper pouch in the stomach.
How It Works
The lap-band, or laparoscopic gastric banding, procedure is aimed at dividing the stomach into two sections by inserting a silicone band around the upper stomach. As a result, the stomach size is reduced. The upper, top section of the stomach, also called pouch, can hold very small amounts of food at one time. People lose the ability to eat large amounts of food because the pouch fills up fast, and a feeling of fullness is attained very quickly.
Band Adjustment
The lap-band system is an adjustable gastric banding procedure that partitions the stomach and determines the size of the upper gastric pouch as well as the stoma opening, which is the stomach outlet between the stomach sections. The expandable section of the band is used to adjust the diameter of the stoma. The stoma opening regulates the flow of the food from the upper to lower portions of the stomach. Smaller stoma opening lengthens the duration between meals, thereby suppressing the appetite.
References
- University of California, Medical Center
- UK Health Centre: Gastric Banding or Lap Band Risks & Complications
- Columbia University Medical Center: Risks of Obesity Surgery
- Medic 8: Gastric Band Surgery.....the Surgery a Step by Step Guide
- Columbia University Medical Center: Surgical Procedures & Innovations, Gastric Banding
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