Adjustable Gastric Band

The adjustable gastric band is another option for weight loss surgery.  It is the most popular operation in Europe and Australia, and it is gaining popularity in the United States.  While it may not be quite as effective as the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, it is a good option for some patients.  Some consider it the least invasive of all the weight loss procedures available in the U.S.

The patient still has the thumbnail sized abdominal incisions as in the gastric bypass.  Through these incisions, the surgeon places a silicone band around the upper part of the stomach, creating a small gastric pouch above it.   As with the gastric bypass, the pouch is the key to the way the operation works.  Filling this little pouch with a few small bites of food will make a patient feel like they have eaten a very large meal, and so they will want to eat less.

The band has an inflatable inner surface.  For the band to work, it must be tight enough.  It must occasionally be adjusted.  The adjustments or "fills" are made through a port that is connected to the band.  The port is placed just under the skin in the abdominal wall.  The adjustments are usually done in the surgeon’s office.  Sterile salt water, or "saline," is used to fill the band to make it fit tighter.  If it needs to be less tight, then saline can be removed.  The band is not filled initially after surgery.  The first adjustment is usually made at your 6-week postop visit.  Further adjustments will be determined based on your weight loss and other factors as observed by the surgeon.