01 May If Your Lap-Band Fails, Then What?
What to do when your Lap-Band Fails
I’ve been getting many questions about a resolution for patients who are having poor results with their Lap-band. But if you have had poor weight loss or have developed a slip, a prolapse, or an erosion, you do have options.
Important Points
- Band and port removal with conversion to a sleeve gastrectomy. The stomach is straightened back out to its original anatomy. Then a sleeve gastrectomy is completed at the same operation by removing part of the stomach. And making a small tube from the remaining stomach from the end of the esophagus to the end of the stomach. This restricts how much food you can eat. It does require a 1-2 day hospital stay. It is best done using robotic technology as this technique gives the surgeon a 3-dimensional picture. And it allows them more precise use of instruments to deal with the scar tissue. This operation is best for people who had good weight loss with the Lap-band. You can expect good weight loss with favorable long-term results.
- Removal of the band and port with conversion to a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. This operation again requires the removal of the Lap-band and port along with the associated scar tissue. Then, a gastric bypass is performed. We make a small pouch out of the upper part of the stomach then bypass the pouch to the second part of the small intestine. This results in weight loss by restricting your food intake and decreasing the absorption of food in the intestine. This operation is also best done with the De Vince robot for the same reasons as the sleeve conversion, and it requires a 2-day stay in the hospital. The operation provides better weight loss for patients that have had poor weight loss with the Lap-band or for those who have diabetes. This operation will also lead to significant weight loss and good long-term results
Conclusion
Both operations will also lead to the resolution of diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and other medical problems associated with obesity. The addition of the robotic technology offers a better surgical technique which for the patient translates into less bleeding during surgery and less pain post-operatively.
If you have questions, please do not hesitate to call us at 303-861-4505 or visit our website. You can also schedule an appointment for a consultation to see if you may need to find a resolution to a Lap-band that is failing.
Dr. Tom Brown