If you and your doctor have decided that weight-loss surgery is right for you, then you have some options to choose from. In a restrictive surgery, a surgeon uses one of a variety of techniques to reduce the size of the stomach. After restrictive surgery, you’ll feel full faster, eat less, and lose weight.

The full names for the three types of restrictive surgery for weight loss are:

• Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding -- which is also known as “gastric banding.
• Vertical banded gastroplasty
• Sleeve gastrectomy - which is becoming the preferred restrictive surgery.

What Is Gastric Banding Surgery?

The surgeon uses laparoscopy (which involves small cuts in the belly) to place an adjustable silicone band around the upper part of the stomach. Squeezed by the silicone band, the stomach becomes a pouch with about an inch-wide outlet. After banding, the stomach can hold only about an ounce of food.

A plastic tube runs from the silicone band to a device just under the skin. Saline (sterile salt water) can be injected or removed through the skin, flowing into or out of the silicone band. Injecting saline fills the band and makes it tighter. In this way, the band can be tightened or loosened as needed to reduce side effects and improve weight loss.

What Are the Results of Gastric Banding?

Gastric banding leads to loss of about 40 to 50% of excess weight. For example, someone who is 100 pounds overweight might expect to lose about 40 to 50 pounds after gastric banding. However, these results vary widely. Gastric banding is considered the least invasive weight loss surgery and also the safest. The procedure can be reversed if necessary, and in time, the stomach generally returns to its normal size.

What Are the Side Effects?

People tend to have few problems as a result of gastric banding surgery. The risk of death due to gastric banding surgery is less than one in 3,000. The most common problems after gastric banding surgery include:

• Nausea and vomiting. These can often be reduced by adjusting the tightness of the band.
• Minor surgical complications. These include problems with the adjustment device, wound infections, or minor bleeding and occur less than 10% of the time.

Unlike gastric bypass surgery, gastric banding does not interfere with food absorption. For this reason, vitamin deficiencies are rare after gastric banding.

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