The LAP-BAND® System is a silicone elastomer ring designed to be placed laparoscopically around the upper part of the stomach. This technique is considered minimally invasive. The band limits the amount of food that can be consumed at one time. The subsequent reduction in food intake results in weight loss.

Revolutionizing Obesity Surgery
With obesity reaching epidemic proportions, the search for safe and effective treatment options has taken on a heightened sense of urgency. While diet, exercise and medication continue to be the first line of defense in treating the disease, studies indicate that morbidly obese patients will not achieve long-term weight loss through dietary and behavioral modifications alone. Surgery remains the best hope for those patients convinced that the improved health effects associated with weight loss will be worth the operative risk.

In an effort to develop a new surgical option that eliminates many of the known associated operative risks and provides unique benefits compared to more invasive surgical treatments for obesity, INAMED Health partnered with leading bariatric surgeons around the world to devise a solution that would deliver:

• Safe weight loss surgery
• Less risk of peri-operative and post-operative complications
• Fewer side effects
• Adjustability for individual needs
• Reversibility
• Effective long-term weight loss

This effort resulted in the BioEnterics® LAP-BAND® System, a laparoscopic approach to sustained weight loss that a growing number of surgeons around the world hail as an optimal surgical alternative for improved health and enhanced quality of life with less operative risk.

Most people lose between one-third and two-thirds of their excess weight with the help of the LAP-BAND® System. It is important to remember that the LAP-BAND® System is an aid to support you in achieving lasting results by limiting food intake, reducing appetite and slowing digestion. However, for the ultimate success of the operation it is very important that you play an active part in the effort to lose weight and keep it off by adopting a different lifestyle and eating pattern for the rest of your life.