Gastric Banding vs. Gastric Bypass Surgery

Published on March 27, 2012 by Michael Russo

Our compassionate and knowledgeable staff understands the challenges our obese patients are faced with every day, and strive to make every weight loss journey a success story. Being confident and proud of your body can be quite difficult when you are obese.

Chances are you have spent years of your life struggling with your weight, weight loss programs, and diets that just dont work in the long run; this only contributes to a negative body image. Obesity can rob you of your self-esteem, your self-confidence, and ultimately your life. With the assistance of our Los Angeles weight loss surgeon, you no longer have to feel imprisoned by your own body.Our Los Angeles weight loss surgery patients who have undergone treatment feel fuller faster and eat less than those who use diet alone. Two popular weight loss treatments are gastric banding surgery and gastric bypass surgery.

Gastric Banding Surgery

Less invasive than gastric bypass surgery, gastric banding is the second most popular treatment among weight loss patients. At our Los Angeles weight loss surgery center, we utilize the LAP-Band and Realize System weight loss surgeries to restrict the amount of food your stomach can hold. During the gastric banding surgery, laparoscopic tools are used to place an adjustable silicone band around the upper portion of the stomach. This band squeezes the stomach, forming a pouch that can hold one to two ounces of food at a time. Over time the stomach pouch will be able to hold up to six ounces of food at one time. The silicone band has an inflatable collar that can hold saline and is connected to a port just under the skin. Saline is used to make the stomach passage smaller, allowing less food to be held by the stomach. It is also possible to remove saline if the stomach passage is too constricted. Gastric banding is considered the safest weight loss surgery option and can be reversed if necessary. An advantage of gastric banding is that it is performed on an outpatient basis, which simply means no hospital stay is required. One of the disadvantages of gastric banding is that the stomach may return to its normal size sometime in the future. There are usually very few complications with gastric banding and most can be fixed by adjusting the tightness of the adjustable band.

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery is the most popular weight loss surgery today. The vast majority of our Los Angeles gastric bypass surgery patients qualify for laparoscopic surgery. Gastric bypass surgery requires a two-day stay in the hospital. Most of our patients feel good enough to return to their normal activities two weeks after their surgery. During the gastric bypass surgery, laparoscopic tools are used to insert staples into two sections of the upper third of the stomach to create a small pouch that can hold one tablespoon of food. The small intestine is then cut and attached directly to the pouch. This decreases the amount of calories that are absorbed by the body. In time the pouch will be able to accommodate up to one cup of food. This restriction allows our patients to feel full quickly while consuming a small amount of calories. Gastric bypass surgery allows our obese patients to live the life they have always dreamt of, but never thought theyd get to experience. Our obese patients choosing gastric bypass surgery can expect to lose 50 to 90 percent of their excess weight after surgery.

Learn More about Gastric Banding and Gastric Bypass Surgery

Dont let obesity keep you from living the life you deserve. Gastric banding and gastric bypass surgery may be the ideal treatments needed to get your life back. To learn more about the benefits of gastric banding and gastric bypass surgery, please contact our obesity surgery center today.

Testimonials

Dr. Russo and staff are amazing! I was referred by my primary Dr. and its been a life changing experience its been 14 months (had the gastric sleeve) I lost 173 lbs! From 325 lbs im currently at 152 lbs!
I researched my surgeon and Dr. Russo topped the list. He is blessed with good hands. I am six months out, have lost 52 pounds* and life is wonderful.
I would recommend Dr. Russo to anyone who would like to get their procedure done. He is willing to spend as much time as you need to cover any questions you may have or even to give you the answers to questions you didn’t think to ask.
Dr. Mir Ali and Dr. Diane Lemont changed my life. I am forever grateful. God bless each of you. I am alive again smile :)
I started out at 355lbs* I lost the 75% that I want to maybe a little more I’ve never regretted oneday having a surgery. I feel it was the best thing I ever did. Now I can play with mygrandbabies instead of just sitting back and watching!
He is a brilliant physician. His bedside manner was always comforting. I wouldn’t hesitate to refer my family and friends as I know they would be as pleased as I was. I’d also like to thank his PA, Ashley, for holding my hand as I went into surgery :) Thanks for a new beginning!
The Group is ‘Top Notch’ and highly professional, no complaints, 100% happy! If you’re really interested in the Gastric Bypass procedure I will be than happy to fill you in on what I went through Pre and Post surgery and how it is now living with it.
Dr. Ali and his PAs where in communication with each other every day the saw me at the hospital answered all my questions and concerned and send me home when I felt comfortable to leave. I even saw a nutritionist to see if I had any questions. If you are planning on having surgery I recommended Dr Ali.