Would You Make Suitable For Lap Banding?

There are various forms of weight loss surgery available nowadays including the relatively new surgical procedure of gastric lap banding which is gaining in popularity and is quickly becoming the preferred choice for many severely overweight or morbidly obese individuals. But would you be a suitable candidate for gastric lap band surgery?

In answering this question we will begin by assuming that you are suitable for obesity surgery in general and that your only concern is whether you should be thinking about lap banding. In simple terms this means that you are over 18, are severely overweight with a body mass index (BMI) in excess of 40 (or over 35 with one or more co-morbid conditions and that you have previously attempted traditional weight loss methods (including possible drug treatment) without success.

It is frequently thought that people considering weight loss surgery are simply overweight and it is very easy to forget that individuals who are extremely overweight are generally suffering from a number of other conditions, many of which stem from the fact that they are overweight. It is the existence of these other conditions that often constitutes an obstacle when it comes to choosing between different surgical options.

Because lap band surgery is a type of restrictive surgery in which the stomach is physically restricted in size to limit the amount of food which can pass through the stomach and digestive system, this form of surgery is unlikely to be suitable if your esophagus, stomach or intestine are abnormal. An abnormality may be congenital or acquired and a common problem experienced is a narrowing at one or more points along the digestive tract.

Difficulties within the stomach or esophagus that might result in bleeding (like esophageal or gastric varices – a dilated vein) would also make gastric lap band surgery impractical, as will problems at the site at which the band is to be placed around the stomach, like an injury, gastric perforation or scarring.

Difficulties might also arise if you are suffering from any form of inflammation or inflammatory disease within the gastrointestinal tract such as esophagitis, ulcers or Crohn’s disease.

Finally, lap band surgery is not considered suitable for pregnant women or for women who are considering pregnancy. Should pregnancy occur following lap band surgery it is possible to deflate the band to compensate for the increased nutritional requirement however, where deflating the band does not do the trick, the band may have to be removed.

One advantage of lap band surgery is that the operation can be reversed and, if it becomes necessary, the band can be removed returning the stomach to its original state. However, this can also be a disadvantage of the system. Motivation is key to any type of obesity surgery but becomes a particular issue when it comes to lap band surgery. If there is any doubt about your determination to succeed then this form of surgery may not be a suitable choice for you.