Are You A Suitable Candidate For Lap Band Surgery?

There are various types of obesity surgery available now including the quite new surgical procedure of gastric lap banding which is growing in popularity and is quickly becoming the favored choice for a significant number of severely overweight or morbidly obese individuals. But would you be a suitable candidate for gastric lap band weight loss surgery?

In providing an answer to this question we will begin by presuming that you are suitable for weight loss surgery generally and that your only concern therefore is whether you should be considering lap banding. In simple terms this would mean that you are over the age of 18, are severely overweight with a body mass index (BMI) in excess of 40 (or in excess of 35 with at least one co-morbid condition and that you have previously tried traditional weight loss methods (including possible drug treatment) without success.

It is usually assumed that individuals considering weight loss surgery are merely overweight and it is very easy to forget that individuals who are extremely overweight are usually suffering from a number of other conditions, some of which arise out of the fact that they are overweight. It is the existence of these other conditions which usually creates an obstacle when it comes to choosing between different forms of surgery.

As lap band surgery is a type of restrictive surgery in which the stomach is physically reduced in size to limit the amount of food which can be passed through the stomach and digestive system, it follows that this form of surgery is unlikely to be suitable if your esophagus, stomach or intestine are abnormal. Any abnormality might be congenital or acquired and a typical difficulty experienced is a narrowing at one or more points along the digestive tract.

Problems with the stomach or esophagus that may lead to bleeding (like esophageal or gastric varices – a dilated vein) would also make gastric lap band surgery impractical, as would problems at the site at which 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 condition in the gastrointestinal tract like esophagitis, ulcers or Crohn’s disease.

Finally, lap band weight loss surgery is not considered suitable for pregnant women or where pregnancy is being contemplated. Where pregnancy happens following lap band surgery the band can be deflated to allow for the higher nutritional requirement however, where loosening the band does not do the trick, the band might have to be removed.

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