Important Facts On Lap-band And Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

By Joseph Foster


The use of surgery to facilitate weight loss is a practice that has continued to increase in popularity by the day. One of the reasons as to why this is the case is because great advances have been made in the surgical field resulting in operations can be performed through minimal access with very few complications. Lap-band and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy are examples of procedures that have helped many people lose unwanted weight.

Surgical weight loss options should only be considered if lifestyle changes have been tried with no success for a considerable period of time. Although the lifestyle modifications tend to take a bit long before results can be appreciated, they do not have any serious side effects. The two main areas where changes can be made are the diet and level of physical activity. Strive to have a healthier diet and to engage in regular physical exercise.

Lap band surgery is also referred to as gastric banding. This is because it involves the use of a band made of silicon. The band is fitted around the upper part of the stomach to decrease the stomach volume. Most centers perform the operation using the laparoscopic technique. With the technique, small incisions are used to gain access to the organ and perform the operation. This results in fewer complications.

When the stomach size is reduced, you will eat less than before as only a small amount of food can be held at a given point in time. Your appetite will also be affected as you will be having early satiety during mealtimes. Over time, you will start losing weight since very little of consumed food ends up in tissues as storage.

One of the major advantages of this operation over any other of its type is the fact that it is easy to exert control over. This is enabled by a plastic tubing that runs from the silicon tube to an accessible area under the skin. By filling or emptying this tube with a liquid such as saline or sterile water the effective pressure of the ring can be controlled; filling the tube increases the pressure and emptying it reduces it.

Just like the lap band operation, gastric sleeve gastrectomy is a restrictive operation. This means it limits the amount of food that one can eat in one sitting. The stomach is cut along its length to leave just a small portion of the original. Generally, between 75 and 80% of the organ is removed. What is left is a tubular structure that can only hold a fraction of the food held previously. Weight loss is through reduced food consumption and reduced absorption of nutrients.

Sleeve gastrectomy, unlike the band procedure, is irreversible. However, both are restrictive surgeries. This means that they are aimed at reducing the holding capacity of your stomach. In the sleeve surgery, a large section of the stomach (75 to 80%) is removed to leave a tubular pouch that looks like a sleeve. The reduced capacity and the increased emptying time are the main causes of weight loss in this case.

Appreciate that results will vary from one person to another. This differences are affected by both patient and doctor factors. Patient factors may include the magnitude of the initial problem, lifestyle after the procedure and genetic factors. Doctor factors include type of technique used and level of skill of the surgeon.




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