What Is Gastric Banding Surgery for Weight Loss?

Health

What is Sleeve Gastrectomy?:

In a sleeve gastrectomy, more than half of your stomach is removed, leaving behind a thin vertical sleeve about the size of a banana. Because part of your stomach is removed, this surgery is not reversible.

Gastric sleeve surgery is becoming the most popular method of restrictive operations both because of its success rate and because the low incidence of complications. Those who have had this surgery report losing 40 to 50% of their overall weight.

The procedure is preformed either through a large incision in the abdomen (an open procedure) or laparoscopically (several small incisions using small instruments and a camera as a guide). Physical recovery takes 4 to 6 weeks.

What Is Vertical Banded Gastroplasty?

Vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG) also involves a plastic band placed around the stomach. In addition, the surgeon staples the stomach above the band into a small pouch.

Vertical banded gastroplasty results in less weight loss, compared with other surgeries. It also has a higher complication rate. For these reasons, vertical banded gastroplasty is less common today. Only 5% of bariatric surgeons still perform this surgery.

What Is a Mixed Surgery? (Restrictive and Malabsorptive)

Restrictive surgery is an important part of nearly all weight loss surgeries. During a gastric bypass, the most common weight loss surgery, restrictive surgery is done first. This "stomach stapling" creates a small stomach pouch. Then, the new stomach pouch is reconnected to a part of the small intestine farther down. This leads to less food eaten (restrictive) and less food absorbed (malabsorptive).