How is the LAP-BAND® System different from gastric bypass surgery?
Lap ban is very different from other gastric bypass surgery. It uses restrictive device that helps in taking less food. It can be adjusted and removed later according to the patient needs. The lap ban surgery is done through laparoscopically and patients can go home after few hours of surgery. Whereas gastric bypass surgery changes the shape of the stomach permanently by cutting its size.
The LAP-BAND® System is a silicone band that is placed around the stomach, creating a small upper stomach pouch that prevents a patient from eating excessively. It is only a restrictive device (not a malabsorptive one), and can be adjusted and/or removed, if necessary. The procedure to place the band is done laparoscopically on an outpatient basis, so our patients go home the same day as surgery in most cases. Recovery is relatively quick – with patients returning to work and/or most normal activities within 4-5 days. It is currently the least invasive form of bariatric surgery, with a relatively low complication rate compared to alternate obesity surgeries. (Read more about the LAP-BAND® System procedure) Gastric bypass surgery involves permanently changing the shape of the stomach by surgically reducing (cutting or stapling) its size to an egg-sized pouch, and then bypassing a portion of the digestive tract with the new smaller stomach. This type of surgery has both a restrictive and
