Laparoscopic Gastric Banding
Gastric banding is a restrictive procedure which involves partitioning the stomach, creating an almost ‘hourglass’ form with a superior portion or pouch of extremely limited volume (approximately 15ml). The adjustable gastric band is placed around the ’neck’ between two points of the stomach, and its tightness can be adjusted by injecting or removing fluid from the band via an injection port which is placed in an accessible position below the skin.
It is usual practice to suture the lower part of the stomach to the small upper pouch to minimise the chance that the stomach will slip through the band.
Standard Indications for Laparoscopic Gastric Banding:
• Body Mass Index greater than 40
• Body Mass Index between 35 and 40 associated with high blood pressure, rheumatoid pathology, mellitus and diabetes.
In practice, many surgeons relax these indications and will offer the band to appropriate individuals with a body mass index as low as 30.
It is important that patients are able to fully comprehend the dietary modifications that they will have to make in order to benefit from the band.