Gastric banding is recommended for use by those people who are considered obese and cannot lose weight in other ways. In gastric band surgery a removable gastric band made from silicone is placed around the top part of the stomach. Afterwards it is injected with a saline solution to create enough tightness that food will only pass through the band very slowly.

Each patient is different and so there will be several trips to the doctor before the ideal tightness is achieved. The band should be tight enough to restrict the food intake, but not so tight that it will prevent food passing through. After the gastric band is in place, the top of the stomach forms a small pouch that quickly fills with food and creates a feeling of fullness due to the slow emptying process.

When a person experiences this feeling of fullness they will stop eating much sooner than they would otherwise have done and thus will lose weight. If they continue eating after they feel full, regurgitation of the food will take place. There are certain procedures that must be followed after the operation that relate to exercise, diet and care of the band, so it is not as if you can simply have this implant and then forget about it.

Gastric banding surgery should not be sought by everyone. It is only used in certain cases such as with people who have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more, or those with a slightly lower BMI who have diseases such as hypertension or diabetes that will respond positively to weight loss.

All surgery has risks associated with it and gastric banding surgery is no different. It has pain and risks similar to other surgery such as gastric bypass and stomach stapling, but is less risky than those surgeries that permanently rearrange the gastrointestinal tract.