What is a gastric lap band slippage, and what causes it?

There are two types of gastric lap band slippage ; anterior and posterior which basically refers to whether the back or front side of the stomach slips. Gastric band lap slippage or prolapse is where the stomach slides up through the Band, making the pouch bigger. If this happens to a patient its because the Band usually becomes too tight, and patients will experience symptoms of reflux (heartburn) as well as nausea and vomiting. This is due to the amount of stomach being “squeezed” by the Gastric Band is increased, thereby obstructing the Band.

Anterior slippage is where the front of the stomach slips up though the band. We try to prevent this by suturing the stomach below the Band to the stomach above the Band, “locking” the Band in place in the right spot. In spite of this, slippage still occurs. It can happen for two reason, one because the surgeon haven’t placed enough stitches, or they haven’t been placed in the right place or secondly slippage can also occur if patients eat too much and vomits frequently.

Posterior slippage was more commonly seen when the Gastric Banding was placed by the “perigastric” technique. With this technique the back side of the stomach was free to slide up through the Band. Now a days surgeons use the “pars flaccida” technique, which was developed to prevent this form of slippage, and has more or less eliminated the incidence of this problem.

Is Gastric Lap Band Slippage Rare or Common?
Unfortunately, at this time there’s not much data on the frequency (or rarity) of gastric lap band slippage in post-surgery patients. As this surgery increases in popularity and longevity, there will certainly be more data available on the frequency of Lap Band slippage in patients,

How is a slipped Band diagnosed?

This is very easy, as diagnosis is made based on the history of the patient. A patient who has been going along fine, with no problems, and then suddenly develops reflux symptoms or symptoms of a too-tight Band will most likely have a slipped Gastric Band. The diagnosis is easily confirmed with an x-ray and barium swallow examination.

How is a slipped Band fixed?

A slipped Band needs to be fixed with another operation. The Gastric Band has to be dissected out, all the sutures removed, and the position of the stomach made right. Some surgeons remove the Band and place it back with a new one and others just straighten things out.

What happens if the Band slips again?

One could certainly try to fix the slip again by again another surgery, but my personal view is that, for whatever reason, the Band is just not working for that particular patient, and ought to be removed.

So you can see gastric lap band slippage can happen and it is solvable.

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Most obese patients have gastric banding surgery to get rid of excess pounds. So losing weight may not be the only reason to have the operation. A researcher team at Monah University Center for Obesity and Education released the results of a four-year study in January 2008 that indicated that gastric banding can also help improve conditions of gastric banding Type 2 diabetes.

Maintaining a good diet after gastric banding and exercising regularly after surgery may be important elements of diabetes management, but results of this study highlight the value of gastric banding for both weight loss and healthy glycemic levels.

Key Benefits of Gastric Banding Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Type 2 diabetes patients will struggle with managing healthy blood sugar levels along with their extra weight. Excess weight is a risk factor for developing diabetes as well as high blood pressure and heart problems. Gastric banding is a valuable solution for managing all of these areas.

As stated by Dr. John Dixon, the lead doctor at the Centre for Obesity Research and Education, states that: “Our study presents strong evidence that obese patients with a Body Mass Index greater than 30 with Type 2 diabetes need to lose a significant amount of weight to improve their overall health and glycemic management.”

He also indicates that patients who lose a significant amount of weight from gastric banding surgery were found to be able to reduce their diabetes medication andcontrol their blood pressure more effectively and lower blood fats. All of these are common challenges of Type 2 diabetes conditions. Normally these circumstances will take several months and years to get under control.

Other Concerns for Diabetes Patients

Despite the positive impact on gastric banding Type 2 diabetes after gastric banding surgery, patients do need to keep up with a healthy weight loss program. Also in 2008 the results of 60 obese patients who underwent laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding procedure, and compared the effects to those who were receiving conventional medical therapy for diabetes. Those who underwent gastric banding surgery also took part in a conventional therapy program. Which comprised of:

• Ongoing education about Type 2 diabetes and health
• Medical therapy with an experienced diabetologist
• Frequent contact with a diabetes educator
• Access to a dietitian, nurse and physician
• Lifestyle modification programs that included physical activity and education on low glycemic index foods for meal planning purposes

Those who completed the surgery and also pursued the conventional therapy program showed a significant improvement in the symptoms of metabolic syndrome and were able to reduce their diabetes medication. Therefore researchers concluded that the trial proves gastric banding leads to diabetes remission, but th patient must have ongoing care and lifestyle modification programs are necessary for long-term success.

Contact your local bariatric surgeon who can provide referrals for nutritional counseling, lifestyle modification therapy, and other resources to help you maintain weight loss for the long term – and reduce or eliminate a case of diabetes as a result.

So now you have a better understanding of gastric banding type 2 diabetes .

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