Gastric Banding

ASGB Surgery

Laparoscopic gastric banding is a purely restrictive operation. The ASGB device is a band with an inflatable balloon connected to a reservoir implanted underneath the skin. There are two available devices. The Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band® (Obtech Medical AG, Switzerland) is only available in Europe. The LAP-BAND® system (BioEnterics Corporation, Carpentaria, CA) has been available in Europe, Australia, and South America and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States in June 2001.

The advantages of laparoscopic ASGB compared to laparoscopic gastric bypass include a shorter operative time, relative ease of performance, no stapling or transection of the stomach, the stoma size can be adjusted, and it is reversible. Disadvantages of laparoscopic ASGB may include slower weight loss than the Gastric Bypass.

For More information on the following surgeries, please visit our Procedure page.

Dr. Paya is an Expert in Weight Loss Surgery and has no complaints thus far.  All weight loss surgeries are performed at West Hills Hospital.      

Lap Band Adjustments: Are they Painful?

"'What are the adjustments?' 'Do the adjustments hurt?' 'How difficult it is?' 'Do I need to go to the hospital for those adjustments?' 'How long do I have to stay in the hospital?' And the answer to that question is very simplistic. Adjustments are something that can be done in the office. It is a procedure that takes about five minutes to do it. Very simplistic. Most of the patients would agree that the whole situation doesn't hurt or doesn't hurt much. I think when I talk with my patients before their first adjustment, they're more scared about that needle, that it's going to hit the port. And they say, 'Well, is that going to hurt?' After the first adjustment they say, 'This was nothing.' Most of the patients will have an average of five to six adjustments in the first year, and then in the second year, they'll probably have an average of three to four adjustments. So when Dr. Paya talks to the patients, and maybe in a two-year period they're going to have about eight to 10 adjustments in order to lose the weight that we wanted them to lose."

Please Call us to obtain more information and a $500 Gift Card towards your Procedure of choice.  818-280-0700