Gastric banding

A gastric band is a laparoscopically placed adjustable, inflatable silicone ring which, controls the amount of food that passes in to the digestive tract. When the ring is placed around the upper part of the stomach, it creates a small pouch at the top of the stomach with a small opening, or 'channel,' to the rest of the stomach. The size of the pouch and the channel both depend upon how much the ring is inflated. (1) During a meal, food enters the pouch before passing through the opening in to the main part of the stomach. The more the ring is inflated, the smaller the opening and therefore the food passes through more slowly. There is a small port attached by thin tubing to the band. This port is placed just under the skin, allowing the band to be adjusted as necessary. There is some fluid present inside the band which controls its size, i.e. this fluid can be injected or withdrawn to adjust the size of the opening between the upper and lower parts of the stomach. (2)