Gastric Banding Revision Surgery in Mexico

Adjustable Gastric Banding (AGB), known as the LAP-BAND, is an inflatable silicone ring placed over the stomach to restrict your food. This minimally invasive procedure is performed laparoscopically, using 3 to 5 tiny incisions. When gastric banding was popular, it was thought to be a reversible surgery that helped overcome morbid obesity.

Over 40% of adjustable gastric banding patients require band removal or modifications due to postoperative problems or inadequate weight loss. Banding complications include erosion, band slippage, and severe discomfort.

Mexico Bariatric Center® works with the best bariatric surgeons to provide a variety of gastric band revision surgeries in Mexico.

Sometimes, patients don’t want to change to another bariatric surgery if the lap band provides good results. Replacing the gastric band, or rebanding, is switching out an existing adjustable gastric band with a newer one.

Maybe the band had malfunctioned or caused complications. This procedure used to be regularly performed, but now surgeons recommend Gastric Band to Gastric Sleeve conversion for weight management purposes. This is due to the common issue of patients removing their band, only to gain some or most of their weight back.

Lap Band to Gastric Sleeve Revision is the most common weight loss surgery option for revising your existing gastric band. This surgery removes the silicone band implant from the stomach, then moves forward to removing 80% of the stomach with gastric sleeve surgery — all in a one-step or two-step conversion.

The lap band is controversial because of the damage it causes over time. The silicone band becomes part of the stomach, making it extremely difficult to remove. Patients may require two separate operations to revise the lap band to a gastric sleeve without a properly specialized bariatric surgeon.
In this case, healing for six months or more is usually needed before converting to the sleeve gastrectomy.

This may be burdensome for those individuals seeking gastric sleeve permanently. Still, our surgeons may require expertise in Gastric Lap Band to Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) conversion. Doctors typically won’t know the extent of any damage until they begin the operation.

Gastric Banding to RNY Gastric Bypass (or mini-gastric bypass) can also be performed to revise a failed lap band surgery. The first option is to have the gastric bypass surgery as a standalone procedure. If you choose the RNY by itself, the surgeon will remove the lap band laparoscopically before converting it to the roux-en-y gastric bypass.

The second option is to have a gastric bypass combined with your existing lap band to increase the odds of weight loss long-term. Unfortunately, the bigger the reward, the biggest the risk. With the band/bypass combination, you will also inherit the risks, complications, and side effects of both bariatric procedures.

Patients can lose about 75% of their excess weight in the first year with the standalone gastric bypass. The RNY bypass is more complex than the sleeve involving rerouting the small intestine after forming a tiny, new stomach pouch. Weight loss is enhanced by utilizing both restriction and malabsorption. Although this is a popular revision option, it is not usually our first choice.

Patients can also remove Lap-Band and convert to Duodenal Switch (DS), with the highest expected weight loss of any bariatric surgery.  The classic BPD/DS and its variation SADI-S are more aggressive surgeries than sleeve and bypass.

Although this conversion is one of the top options, MBC surgeons do not recommend this revision type.

The IntraGastric Balloon (IGB) is the final option for revising a failed gastric band. The balloon is not a surgical procedure as it is performed endoscopically. Therefore, it is performed separately after the band is removed.

The gastric balloon is temporary and not a long-term weight loss solution. It is recommended if you are slightly overweight or preparing for a more effective weight loss surgery like gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, or duodenal switch.

A gastric balloon is a weight management procedure and is placed for 6 months to a year in the stomach. Individual needs to follow a diet and exercise routine and require lifestyle changes.