During the gastric band procedure, a soft and adjustable silicone band is wrapped around the upper part of the stomach and closed or locked to create two chambers – a small upper stomach with a narrow opening to the lower stomach – and cause food passage restriction.
The upper stomach will only hold about four ounces of food (1/2 cup), limiting food intake. Patients eat less because they feel full faster and longer, and because digestion is slowed.
The level of the food passage restriction can be adjusted by adding to or removing saline solution from the band through a port that is placed within the patient.
Band procedure
The laparoscopic (minimally invasive) surgery, which uses a few small incisions, usually results in shorter hospital stays, faster recoveries, smaller scars, and less pain than open surgical procedures.
Fast, easy band adjustments
Your surgeon’s office, clinic, or hospital can adjust the amount of saline in your band (often called a “fill level”) and keep you on track to meet your weight loss goals.
Band removal and its effects
The band is intended for long-term use, but the band can be removed, if necessary. Please keep in mind that surgery reversal is not simple, and weight gain is usually observed in people who have had their bands removed but do not continue a healthy eating regimen.