Could You Be A Suitable Patient For Gastric Lap Band?

There are several types of weight loss surgery available to patients nowadays including the quite new procedure of gastric lap banding which is rising in popularity and is quickly becoming the preferred choice for a significant number of severely overweight or morbidly obese individuals. But would you make a suitable candidate for gastric lap band surgery?

In answering this question we will start by assuming that you are suitable for weight loss surgery generally and that your only concern is whether you should be considering lap banding. In very simple terms this would mean that you are over 18, are severely overweight with a body mass index (BMI) in excess of 40 (or over 35 with at least one co-morbid condition) and that you have already tried traditional weight loss methods (possibly including drug treatment) without any success.

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

Because gastric lap band surgery is a type of restrictive surgery in which the stomach is physically restricted in size to limit the quantity of food that can pass through the stomach and digestive system, it follows that this type of surgery is probably not going to be suitable if your esophagus, stomach or intestine are in any way abnormal. An abnormality could be inherited or acquired and a common difficulty experienced is a narrowing at some point along the digestive tract.

Problems within the esophagus or stomach that could lead to bleeding (such as esophageal or gastric varices � a dilated vein) would also rule out gastric lap band surgery, as would difficulties at the site where the band is to be placed around the stomach, such as an injury, scarring or gastric perforation.

Problems might also arise if you are suffering from any type of inflammation or inflammatory condition within the gastrointestinal tract such as ulcers, esophagitis or Crohn's disease.

Finally, gastric lap band surgery is not suitable for pregnant women or where pregnancy is being contemplated. Where pregnancy happens following gastric lap band surgery it is possible to deflate the band to allow for the raised nutritional requirement however, where loosening the band is not enough, the band could need to be removed.

One advantage of gastric banding is that the operation can be reversed and, if it proves necessary, the band can be removed returning the stomach to its original state. This can however also be a disadvantage of the system. Motivation is the key to any type of weight loss surgery but is an especially important issue in the case of gastric lap band surgery. Should there be any doubt about your determination to succeed then this type of surgery may not be a suitable option for you.

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Could You Be A Suitable Patient For Gastric Lap Band?

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