Could You Be A Suitable Candidate For Lap Band Weight Loss Surgery?

There are a number of different forms of weight loss surgery available nowadays including the reasonably new procedure of gastric lap banding which is growing in popularity and is quickly becoming the favorite choice for many morbidly obese individuals. But are you a suitable candidate for gastric lap banding?

In answering this question we will start by presuming that you are a suitable candidate for weight loss surgery generally and that your only concern therefore is whether or not you should be considering lap banding. In simple terms this means that you are over 18, are severely overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of over 40 (or over 35 with one or more co-morbid conditions and that you have already tried traditional weight loss methods (possibly including drug treatment) without any success.

It is often believed that individuals having weight loss surgery are merely overweight and it is very easy to forget that individuals who are extremely overweight are frequently suffering from several other conditions, many of which result from the fact that they are overweight. It is the existence of these other conditions which often presents a hurdle when it comes to choosing between different forms of surgery.

Because lap band surgery is a type of restrictive surgery where the stomach is physically restricted in size to limit the amount of food that can pass through the stomach and digestive system, this type of surgery is unlikely to be suitable if your esophagus, stomach or intestine are abnormal. Such abnormality may be congenital or acquired and a typical difficulty seen is a narrowing at one or more points along the digestive tract.

Difficulties with the stomach or esophagus which might lead to bleeding (like esophageal or gastric varices – a dilated vein) would also rule out gastric lap banding, as will problems at the location where the band is to be placed around the stomach, such as an injury, scarring or gastric perforation.

Difficulties may also arise if you are suffering from any type of inflammation or inflammatory disease within the gastrointestinal tract such as esophagitis, ulcers or Crohn’s disease.

Finally, lap band surgery is not suitable for pregnant women or where pregnancy is being contemplated. Where pregnancy happens after lap band surgery it is possible to deflate the band to allow for the increased nutritional requirement but, where loosening the band is not enough, the band may have to be removed.

One advantage of lap band surgery is that the operation is reversible and, if it becomes necessary, the band can be removed and the stomach returned to its previous state. But, this can also be a disadvantage of the system. Motivation is the key to any form of obesity surgery but is a particular issue when it comes to lap banding. If there is any doubt about how determined you are to succeed then this type of surgery may not be the best option for you.