Body
- More than 10.000 gastric bands have been placed in France each year with high experience.
- Easy to perform, the intervention takes 30 to 50 minutes and 2 to 3 night’s hospitalization. Quick recovery, back to work and minimum of risk to life.
- No gastric mutilation, the gastric band can be removed in case of failure, a sleeve or a bypass can then be performed in 1 or 2 times.
- No vitamin deficiency and progressive weight loss.
- Complications can occur distantly: slippage, erosion of the stomach, migration, overfills and dilation of the overlying esophagus in case of too frequent and too important fills, complications may impose difficult surgical removal of the band.
- Can be compromised, some types of food are not tolerated and change of lifestyle can interfere with social life.
- A reflux of pre-existing gastric fluid upward may be exacerbated by gastroplasty and blockage in case of excessive tightening are distracting.
- Weight loss is less important compared to sleeve or bypass surgery.
It must be noticed that this intervention isn’t a ‘miracle’: the post operative diet is very important, monitoring is required to detect complications cited above and fills are not always easy to do and require radiological controls.
INDICATION: BMI egal or superior to 35, psychic balance, desire and willpower are essential (obvious exclusion of the compulsive, nibbling eaters, people working flextime). Gastric banding remains the most benign intervention with often very good results, however, depending on the patient’s will.