What can be done for severe obesity?

Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG)

The VBG is a restrictive surgery. The surgeon uses staples to make a small stomach pouch. This reduces how much food your stomach can hold. When the amount of food the stomach can hold is reduced, you feel full sooner. But at the same time, the stomach digests nutrients and calories in a normal way.

• Nutrients and vitamins are fully absorbed
• Simpler procedure than the Gastric Bypass
• Lower Risk of leakage or intestinal obstruction compared to Gastric Bypass and Biliopancreatic Diversion (BPD)
• Lower mortality rate than Gastric Bypass or BPD

• Rarely performed through minimally invasive approach
• Requieres cutting and stappling of stomach
• Slower initial weigth loss than Gastric Bypass and BPD
• Nonadjustable
• Staple line disruption shortly after surgery can result in leakage infection and even death
• Staple line disruption at a later time results in weight regain
• Extremely difficult to reverse

There is more than one way to reduce how much food the stomach can hold. VBG is one. Another is to use the LAP-BAND Adjustable Gastric Banding System.

LAP BAND Adjustable Gastric Banding System This option restricts how much the stomach can hold by placing an adjustable band around the upper part of the stomach. There is no cutting or stapling needed to divide the upper stomach pouch from the lower stomach. The result is you take in less food. But unlike stomach stapling, the LAP-BAND can be adjusted to suit your situation, and can be removed if necessary.

The LAP-BAND System uses new surgical technology to help you lose weight by reducing how much your stomach can hold and lengthening the feeling of being full. The success of this process, however, also depends on how motivated you are and how committed you are to your goal of long-lasting weight loss.