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Lap Band surgery involves placing an adjustable, inflatable gastric band around a portion of the patient’s stomach to restrict the amount of food a person can consume. The procedure reduces the capacity of the stomach and is adjustable to add or reduce the amount of saline (salt water) to influence the amount of weight loss. The band creates a small outlet to the stomach, which enables patients to experience a sense of “fullness” with smaller portions of food.
If weight loss is inadequate, the band can be tightened to further reduce the size of the stomach outlet, which adds more saline and reduces the amount of food that can move through the stomach. Tubing connects the Lap Band to an access site that lies beneath the skin of the patient’s abdomen, which allows a UT Southwestern Medical Center bariatric specialist to adjust the diameter of the band to meet the patient’s needs.
UT Southwestern’s laparoscopic surgeons use small incisions in the abdomen, specialized surgical instruments, a tiny video camera and a video monitor to effectively perform the Lap Band procedure. This minimally invasive surgery enables patients to reduce their hospital stay, experience less postoperative discomfort and return to work and normal activities in less time.
