Surgery to Fight Being Overweight

The Lap Band Procedure is a minimally invasive weight loss surgery that bands the stomach to an implanted prosthetic device.

The device sections off the stomach into a pair of pouches connected by a narrow passage, which slows digestion and curtails the amount of food an individual will consume. The Lap Band Procedure helps patients in limiting their appetite and allowing them to have a fuller sensation quicker while eating less.

In looking at it more closely, the Lap Band Procedure is comprised of three parts:

Silicone or silastic (pliable soft plastic) band;

Reservoir or "port"; and

A tube joining the band to the port

After performing a number of tiny incisions, a lap band surgeon then inserts a small video camera to view the region where the lap band device will be be implanted.

At that time, the lap band is then inserted and situated around the upper part of the stomach. A small stomach pouch is created just above the band, and the larger stomach pouch remains located beneath the band. The reservoir or port is placed just beneath an individual's surface fatty tissue and skin. The port and the band will stay inside the patient's body and are connected by the tube.