Description of the operation
Gastric Banding(GB) forms part of the so-called "restrictive" operations and consists of the positioning of a "band" around the upper part of the stomach attached so as to create the shape of an "egg-timer", with the upper part very small.
The intervention does not modify the anatomy in a definitive way. The banding can be adjusted so as to make it suited to the needs of body-weight loss.
The gastric bending provokes a premature sense of being full that reduces the food quantity, and therefore the weight of calories introduced.
For whom it is required
It is indicated for patients who have a BMI between 40 and 50, or a BMI between 35 and 40 in the presence of serious associated pathologies (hypertension, diabetes, respiratory problems, and problems with the joints), in the absence of food behaviour disorders.
The results
It is fundamental that the patient collaborates in order to obtain good results, following the rules that are supplied by the specialists.
It is not only about reducing the quantity of food eaten, but above all it is about modifying one's eating habits.
A correct food intake will be necessary also to maintain the results obtained over a period of time.
Gastric banding generates a good weight loss: the percentage of excess weight lost is in the order of 45% after a year, reaching up 65-70% after four years.
The checks
The checks to be made after gastric banding are at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months and thereafter annually. They are carried out by the surgeon and /or medical dietician; the psychologist may intervene where necessary.
In checking centres the banding may be injected with a liquid which is in out-patient clinic use so as to adapt the diametre to the need to lose weight and to well-being.
The liquid will be added or removed from the banding at the specialists' discretion , according to the patients' condition. Some blood sample tests are programmed at different stages to check possible nutritional shortages.
