By 2005, most insurance companies had approved it and many people in the United States chose the band as a safer alternative to gastric bypass surgery. However, by 2010 insurance companies started approving sleeve gastrectomy, which most people chose over the gastric band. In 2016, gastric banding accounted for only 3.4 percent of all bariatric procedures.

Today, many people with gastric bands in place have weight loss failure or device-related problems that require band removal.

How Band-to-Sleeve Conversion Works

People who have a band failure or complication can have the band removed and can be converted to a sleeve gastrectomy. Rarely, this can be done in one operation, but insurance companies generally don’t approve it, complications are more common and weight loss is usually not as good.

It is always better to remove the band, verify the stomach and esophagus have returned to normal function with an upper GI X-ray, and then proceed with a sleeve gastrectomy. Typically, your surgeon will schedule sleeve gastrectomy surgery more than two months after band removal.

Benefits

Generally, band removal followed a few months later by sleeve gastrectomy yields the same result as undergoing a sleeve gastrectomy with no prior history of band placement. This is because the stomach and esophagus tissues tend to go back to normal within a few months after band removal.

Considerations and Risks

Removing a band and converting to a sleeve gastrectomy at the same time has a higher risk of a large pouch, weight loss failure, reflux (heartburn) and a staple line leak. It can be done in select patients but is generally not advised. Ask for a more detailed explanation during an office visit (drawings often help with the explanation).

For more information on weight loss surgery, call (415) 923-3200.