Adjustable gastric band surgery--or fill lap band surgery--is a procedure in which a surgeon fits an adjustable band around the top of the stomach to control the amount of food that a patient digests. Expert clinical reviews, such as those conducted by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, report significant weight loss in patients who undergo the surgery.

Procedure

The surgeon makes a small incision in the patient's body and inserts a thin, lighted tube to guide him as he fits a hollow band around the top of the stomach. The surgeon then attaches a port, which can adjust the band, into the patient's abdomen. It lies just under the skin and is accessible for adjustment.

Adjusting the fill

Doctors call the procedure a "fill" lap band because the band placed on the stomach requires filling with saline solution to control the tightness of the band. The surgeon can adjust the "fill" with the port that she attached to the patient's abdomen during surgery.

Benefits

Adjustable gastric band surgery has a lower mortality rate than gastric bypass surgery, which is the primary alternative to the fill lap band procedure. Unlike other procedures, it is fully reversible, there is no cutting or stapling of the stomach, patients recover quickly from the procedure, and the band is adjustable without additional surgery.

Risks

Like any surgical procedure, fill lap band surgery has risks. The band can slip, change positions, or erode into the stomach. The port can slip, shift position or develop pain or an infection. Occasionally the fluid inside the band can become infected.

Outcomes

Clinical studies, such as the ones reviewed by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health, showed that fill lap band surgery resulted in remarkable weight loss as well as cost-effectiveness over the long term.

Source:

Lap Band System: About lap band surgery

NIH: Adjustable gastric banding

Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health: Clinical and Economic Review of Gastric Banding