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There are several forms of weight loss surgery available to patients nowadays including the reasonably new surgical procedure of gastric lap banding which is rising in popularity and is quickly becoming the favorite choice for many morbidly obese individuals. But could you be a suitable candidate for gastric lap banding surgery? In answering this question we will begin by assuming that you are a suitable candidate for weight loss surgery in general and that your only concern therefore is whether you should consider lap banding. In very simple terms this means that you are over the age of 18, are morbidly obese with a body mass index (BMI) of over 40 (or over 35 with at least one co-morbid condition) and that you have already attempted traditional weight loss methods (including possible drug treatment) without any success. It is frequently believed that individuals considering weight loss surgery are simply overweight and it is very easy to forget that individuals who are extremely overweight are usually suffering from a variety of other conditions, some of which arise out of the fact that they are overweight. It is the existence of these other conditions that usually constitutes an obstacle when it comes to choosing between different surgical options. Because gastric lap banding is a form of restrictive surgery in which the stomach is physically reduced in size to limit the quantity of food that can be passed through the stomach and digestive system, this form of surgery is unlikely to be suitable if your esophagus, stomach or intestine are in any way abnormal. An abnormality may be congenital or acquired and a typical difficulty experienced is a narrowing at some point along the digestive tract. Problems within the stomach or esophagus which may result in bleeding (like esophageal or gastric varices � a dilated vein) would also rule out gastric lap band surgery, as will difficulties at the location at which the band would be placed around the stomach, like an injury, gastric perforation or scarring. Problems may also arise if you suffer from any form of inflammation or inflammatory condition within the gastrointestinal tract like ulcers, esophagitis or Crohn's disease. Finally, gastric lap band surgery is not considered suitable for pregnant women or where pregnancy is being contemplated. Should pregnancy occur after gastric lap band surgery it is possible to deflate the band to compensate for the raised nutritional requirement but, where loosening the band is not enough, the band may need to be removed. One advantage of gastric band surgery is that the operation can be reversed and, should it prove necessary, the band can be removed and the stomach returned to its original state. This can however also be a disadvantage of the system. Motivation is the key to any form of weight loss surgery but is an especially important issue when it comes to gastric lap band surgery. Should you have any doubt about your determination to succeed then this form of surgery might not be a suitable choice for you.
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