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Surgical Solutions : Laparoscopic Gastric Band Surgery (Lap Band)
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Lap Band is the most common form of weight loss surgery in Europe and Australia. Recently approved by the FDA, it is usually performed laparoscpicaly. It is one of the least invasive approaches to obesity because neither the stomach nor the intestine is cut.
Since the Lap-band is implantable using minimal-invasive techniques (keyhole techniques), patients that are extremely obese with heightened surgical risks benefit from the conservative entry to the abdominal cavity. Due to the absence of upper abdominal incisions, the incidence of wound-healing complications, wound infections, postoperative pain as well as incisional hernias are drastically reduced. In addition, this method is cosmetically advantageous due to the absence of a large scar and it is fully reversible. The absence of lasting modifications to the anatomy of the intestinal tract allows for relatively easy restoration to the original state by simply removing the band, which can be done using laparoscopic techniques in most cases.
The band is applied around the stomach below the gastro-esophageal junction. On the inner lining of the band there is a longitudinal balloon (like a bicycle tire). This balloon is attached to a subcutaneous port through a small tube. The band is left empty at time of surgery but is thereafter gradually filled with fluid by injection through the subcutaneous port. It is thus possible to vary the opening in the stomach after surgery.
The balloon band system can be regarded as putting a straight-jacket on the stomach.
The small gastric pouch created above the band limits the amount of food that a patient can eat at any one time and will result in a feeling of fullness after eating a small amount of food.
The band induces an early feeling of satiety and thereby decreases food intake.
This as well as other methods for obesity surgery does not however change the basic patient behaviour trait. If the band is removed and underlying behaviour remains unchanged, the weight will quickly increase to what it was before surgery. This means that the operation is not a definite solution to the patient eating pattern or the problem of morbid obesity. It however induces sustainable weight loss and therefore it leads to a healthier life with fewer risks for obesity related secondary diseases.
The amount of weight you lose depends both on the band and on your motivation and commitment to a new lifestyle and eating habits.
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