Those considering gastric bypass surgery or other weight loss surgery need to know about the Lap-Band and Realize"" Band. Since being approved for use by the FDA in 2001, gastric band surgery has become an increasingly popular method of surgically assisted weight loss.
As patients looked to surgical solutions for weight loss, there grew a need for a less invasive and drastic solution to open gastric bypass surgery which had been the standard for bariatric procedures. Laparoscopic surgery was first performed for gastric bypass in 1993 as an alternative to "open" surgery providing a number of advantages to patients. These include reduced pain due to smaller incisions and hemorrhaging, and shorter recovery time. Now with the introduction of gastric band surgery, patients can benefit from the same type of advantages and more.
In full gastric bypass surgery part of the lower intestine is bypassed, allowing food to pass through without absorbing the calories in that part of the intestine and also acts to make the stomach pouch smaller. Gastric band surgery is considered a safer and less invasive option because there is no intestinal cutting or re-routing. A small, adjustable silicone band is placed laparoscopically around the upper stomach by the surgeon through five small incisions in the upper abdomen, the largest being about an inch and a half long. The principle is similar to that of gastric bypass surgery in that its main objective is to decrease the size of the stomach so that the patient feels full faster and eats less as a result. Because the procedure is less invasive, band patients experience less pain and shorter recovery times. Gastric band patients also carry less post-operative risk of vitamin deficiency compared to gastric bypass patients who report malabsorption of iron and B12 more than 30% of the time.
Weight loss over the short term may not be as dramatic for Lap-Band and Realize"" Band patients as it is for gastric bypass patients. But when measured over the longer term, weight loss is the same over 7 to 8 years, with most patients reaching 65% to 90% of their ideal weight loss. This highlights the importance of post-operative diet, exercise and support group regimes regardless of which weight loss surgery procedure you choose.
There are several surgical weight loss options and patients need to spend time investigating and speaking with a bariatric surgeon about what is involved in each and what kind of lifestyle change is needed to make weight loss work over time. A bariatric surgeon will help you assess whether gastric bypass surgery, Lap-Band or Realize"" Band surgery or another weight loss surgery option is right for you.
