The UM Center for Weight Management & Wellness

Surgical Weight Loss

Laparoscopic Gastric Band

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The laparoscopic gastric banding artificially reduces the capacity of the stomach and helps to decrease your appetite. The system's silicone band is placed around the upper part of the stomach to create a small stomach pouch, which can hold only a small amount of food. The lower, larger part of the stomach is below the band. These two parts are connected by a small outlet created by the band. Food will pass through the outlet from the upper stomach pouch to the lower part more slowly, and you will feel full longer.

What are the advantages of the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band?

During the laparoscopic gastric band procedure there is no division or suturing of the intestinal tract, which eliminates potential sources for suture-line leak or breakdown. Other advantages:

The rest of the gastrointestinal tract anatomy is not altered, so the food ingested follows the normal course. This results in less chance of developing vitamin and mineral deficiency.
The gastric band can be removed, although this entails another laparoscopic procedure.
Although the weight loss might not be as great as for the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the percentage of people with diseases associated with morbid obesity (diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, etc.) which are cured by the procedure is similar.
This is considered to be the least traumatic of the bariatric procedures.

How is the laparoscopic gastric banding performed?

In the laparoscopic gastric band, a silicone ring is implanted around the top part of the stomach. The diameter of the band outlet is adjustable to meet your individual needs, which can change as you lose weight. The band is connected by tubing to a reservoir, which is placed well under the skin during surgery. After the operation, the surgeon can control the amount of saline in the band by entering the reservoir with a fine needle through the skin. The purpose is to limit the amount of food ingested at any give time (restrictive operation), without altering the normal absorption of vitamins and minerals.

How is a laparoscopic procedure performed?

Just like for the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the adjustable gastric banding is implanted using laparoscopic (minimally invasive) surgery through several small incisions. As in the laparoscopic gastric bypass, harmless gas, camera (laparoscope) and instruments are used.

Who is a good candidate for this procedure?

Indications for usage of laparoscopic gastric banding are the same as for other operations for overweight patients. You must be prepared to make substantial changes in your eating habits and lifestyle, and to continue being monitored by the specialist treating you.

Why come to the University of Maryland Medical Center?

The UM Center for Weight Management and Wellness is led by our bariatric surgeons, Dr. Mark Kligman (director of the UM Center for Weight Management and Wellness) and Dr. Katherine G. Lamond. Both are experts in minimally invasive weight loss surgical procedures. Between them, they have performed more than 700 weight loss procedures with an outstanding success rate and an extremely low complication rate.

At the University of Maryland Center for Weight Management & Wellness, patients benefit from our multidisciplinary approach to weight loss. We are strong believers that the surgery is just the beginning of the process, and that lifestyle changes are really required for long-term successful weight maintenance. Our experts are committed to ensuring that patients receive the tools they need to achieve and maintain weight loss.

This page was last updated on: February 28, 2013.

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