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Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Basics Relating To Lap-band And Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

By Joseph Foster


The use of surgery to facilitate weight loss is a practice that has continued to increase in popularity by the day. One of the reasons as to why this is the case is because great advances have been made in the surgical field resulting in operations can be performed through minimal access with very few complications. Lap-band and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy are examples of procedures that have helped many people lose unwanted weight.

Surgical weight loss options should only be considered if lifestyle changes have been tried with no success for a considerable period of time. Although the lifestyle modifications tend to take a bit long before results can be appreciated, they do not have any serious side effects. The two main areas where changes can be made are the diet and level of physical activity. Strive to have a healthier diet and to engage in regular physical exercise.

The alternative name for lap band surgery is gastric banding. This term has been adopted because of the use of a silicon band in the procedure. When this band is fitted to the upper section of the stomach, the capacity of this organ is significantly reduced. This operation is usually done laparoscopically. This means that only small incisions are required to gain entry into the abdominal cavity.

With a reduced stomach volume, one tends to fill up rather fast. With filling, comes satiety meaning the overall effect will be a reduction in food intake. Most of the food that is eaten is channeled towards food production and very little is left for storage in tissues. Weight gain is therefore controlled and in a matter of weeks or months, there is net weight loss.

A plastic tubing is usually connected to the silicon tube on the stomach to help make adjustments when need be. This is made possible by filling this tube with saline or withdrawing the same. When the tubing is filled with saline, the degree of the squeeze is increased and the size is reduced further. The reverse happens when the saline is drawn from the tube.

There are several complications that may be encountered in the course of these complications. They include minor bleeding, vomiting, esophageal spasms, infections and leakage of food. Many of these complications can be managed easily. You will be well advised to have a discussion with your surgeon regarding these complications and to assess what your level of risk is.

Sleeve gastrectomy, unlike the band procedure, is irreversible. However, both are restrictive surgeries. This means that they are aimed at reducing the holding capacity of your stomach. In the sleeve surgery, a large section of the stomach (75 to 80%) is removed to leave a tubular pouch that looks like a sleeve. The reduced capacity and the increased emptying time are the main causes of weight loss in this case.

Appreciate that results will vary from one person to another. This differences are affected by both patient and doctor factors. Patient factors may include the magnitude of the initial problem, lifestyle after the procedure and genetic factors. Doctor factors include type of technique used and level of skill of the surgeon.




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