One of the reasons a LAP-BAND revision becomes necessary

At the Northwest Houston Surgical Association, we see a lot of patients who have gotten a LAP-BAND in the last few years and need to have that form of bariatric surgery revised. There can be many reasons a patient or his or her doctor may wish to pursue LAP-BAND revision. Though it's rare, it is possible for a LAP-BAND to slip out of place, causing issues. The LAP-BAND may also erode, causing it to lose its effectiveness. In these cases, the LAP-BAND itself can be redone for a more successful outcome for the patient.

However, what we want to talk about today is when patients come to see us wanting to have their LAP-BAND removed in favor of another form of weight loss surgery. This type of weight loss surgery revision is typically done for one reason:

LAP-BAND does not work for everyone

As much as we want it to be, weight loss surgery isn't a guaranteed treatment for obesity. What LAP-BAND surgery does is it places a soft saline ring around the stomach in order to create a small stomach pouch, which slows the passage of food to the digestive system. It allows patients to feel full after smaller meals, therefore usually resulting in weight loss. You can learn more about the LAP-BAND procedure from this short video.

The key word in that last paragraph is usually. The thing about LAP-BAND is that it is what's called a purely restrictive surgery, similar to gastric bypass. All it does is restrict how much food the body feels as though it should be taking in. This can be an issue for some LAP-BAND patients because eating is not always motivated by how full or not-full the body feels. Many people are emotional eaters, or even food addicts, who will keep eating at a pre-surgery level even though this type of overeating now comes with intense discomfort. Over time, the weight loss effects of the LAP-BAND surgery may be undone.

What's the solution when LAP-BAND doesn't work?

For some patients, a restrictive surgery is simply not the answer. In that case, we need to look at bariatric surgery options that include a malabsorption component, which cuts down on how many calories a patient's body absorbs. For patients for whom LAP-BAND was not successful, the duodenal switch procedure may be a great option as it combines moderate restriction with malabsorption, helping the body take in less food and absorb fewer calories.

However, the best option for you will depend on your specific circumstances: your medical conditions, your lifestyle, and your goals. If you are considering weight loss surgery, a consultation with a great bariatric surgeon is the only way to determine the best option for you.