Bariatric Surgery: Laparoscopic Adjustable Banding

Weight-loss (bariatric) surgery changes the size of your stomach to help you lose weight. The surgery may also keep your body from absorbing nutrients. The goal is to limit how much food can be eaten or absorbed at one time, or both. There are several types of weight-loss surgery. You are having laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. This surgery closes off part of your stomach to make a very small pouch. This is the most common type of weight-loss surgery that restricts how much food you can eat.   

The procedure

The surgeon puts an adjustable band around the top part of your stomach. The band is like a ring. It makes a small pouch in your upper stomach. This pouch holds only a few tablespoons of food. Food passes slowly through a narrow opening at the bottom of the pouch. This lets you feel full longer. The size of the band can be changed by using a port placed under the skin. The port gives your healthcare provider a way to put in a needle. He or she uses the needle to add or remove fluid from the band. This is done to make the size of the opening bigger or smaller. Changing the band changes how quickly food leaves the new pouch.