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What is Gastric Banding?

For some people, attempts at conventional dieting and exercise or treatments such as drug therapy or behaviour modification fail.

If you are a 'YO YO' dieter, someone who has lost weight many times only to regain the lost weight and more you might want to consider gastric banding.

What is an Adjustable Gastric Band?

A Gastric band is an inflatable silicone ‘belt’ that is placed, by keyhole surgery, around the top part of the stomach. The inner diameter of a band is made smaller by filling the band. When the band is ‘filled’ it squeezes against the outside of the stomach creating a smaller channel through which food is able to travel. One may liken this to a small hourglass or an ‘egg timer’. A smaller ‘pouch’ above with a tiny gap leading to the rest of the stomach below.

When adjusted correctly a gastric band creates a narrowed internal space and thus food is slowed as it passes downwards towards the rest of the stomach. As food is filtered through the upper part or ‘pouch’ more slowly than usual the banded person senses they are unable to eat more. If they chose to continue to eat they may feel discomfort in the lower part of the gullet (oesophagus). Much less food is needed to fill up this little "pouch” and a new sensation of band satiety is experienced as food slowly filters to the unchanged stomach below.

An improved health regime

Gastric banding can aid weight loss by essentially making it extremely difficult and uncomfortable to eat large volumes of food. It is a long-term commitment weight loss treatment and has to be accompanied by ongoing changes to the diet, eating habits and exercise routine to be effective.

The safest method of weight loss surgery

Gastric banding is considered the safest form of weight loss surgery. A common procedure in Europe it has proven results. There is no cutting, stapling, stitching or mutilation of the stomach or intestines. It is totally reversible with another keyhole procedure.

Some of the other benefits of gastric banding include:

• Slow steady weight loss
  
  Up to 65% reduction of excess body weight loss [EBWL]. Within some teams, such as the AOS team this is noted to be greater than 65% EBWL
• Long-term weight loss
  
  Five-year post op studies demonstrate sustained weight loss comparable with other surgical weight loss procedures. The procedure also tends to encourage better eating habits, which helps to produce long term weight stability.

Keyhole surgery

The procedure is performed under general anaesthetic using keyhole surgery (laparoscopic surgery). No cutting, removal or stapling of the digestive system is required

Reversible

This operation is totally reversible with another keyhole (laparoscopic) operation

Short Hospital / Weight Loss Clinic stay

The procedure is performed under general anaesthetic and most patients are discharged the day after. For some, the procedure is performed as day case surgery - being admitted and discharged to a weight loss clinic on the day of surgery.

Quick recovery

For most patients it takes about a week to return to work and approximately two weeks to resume exercising.

Ongoing support

For gastric banding to be effective as a weight loss treatment it needs to be followed by regular adjustments (this varies but at AOS we find two or three is usual) in the months following the initial operation. A fill, or adjustment, gradually reduces the space [lumen] inside the stomach through which food passes.