Myth #1. "Many prominent bariatric surgeons are not
doing this surgery, it must not work." This is not
the reason, the truth is that not all bariatric surgeons are trained or have the experience to properly place the LAP-BAND® System.
Myth #2. "Since the LAP-BAND® System is fairly new, we don't how how safe it is in the long run." Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (LAGB) with the LAP-BAND® System is the most commonly performed surgical procedure for the treatment of morbid obesity in Europe, Australia and South America. The laparoscopic application of the LAP-BAND® System has been in use since 1993. Since FDA approval in 2001 the LAP-BAND® System has ranked second among all bariatric procedures performed in the U.S. and, as of 2005, approximately 300,000+ LAP-BAND® System procedures have been performed worldwide. During this time, a study was conducted by "The International Laparoscopic Obesity Surgery Team (ILOST)" called "Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding in 1,791 Consecutive Obese Patients: 12-Year Results" concluded that the adjustable gastric band is safe and effective for the treatment of both morbidly obese and super obese patients in the short, medium and long term. In experienced hands, the complication rate is low and stable weight loss to at least 12 years has occurred. |