gastric bypass surgery

Gastric bypass surgery
Like gastric bypass surgery and the vertical gastroplasty, the Lap-Band procedure promotes rapid and extreme weight loss by creating a small pouch in the top portion of the stomach. However, instead of creating the pouch with surgical staples, the bariatric surgeon fastens a gastric band around the top portion of the stomach like a belt.

Gastric bypass surgery
Attached to the band is an adjustable balloon that controls the size of the stomach pouch. The surgeon can expand the balloon via a small access port located just under the skin. This allows the surgeon to optimize the size of the stomach for each unique patient, and also make additional adjustments during follow-up visits to promote continued weight loss.

Gastric bypass surgery
These follow-ups, or “fills”, are painless and non-invasive. The doctor injects saline solution into the Lap-Band balloon via the access port to increase the tightness of the band around the stomach pouch and restrict food consumption. A follow-up fill procedure generally takes only 15 minutes and can be done in the doctor’s office.