A Brief History

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding was first performed in Australia in 1994 and since then has become the most widely performed surgery for the treatment of obesity.  Each year more than 12,000 operations are undertaken in Australia.

Weight loss surgery has evolved through the medical profession's recognition of how difficult it is for obese patients to lose an excessive amount of weight using conventional methods. And, in particular, to maintain the weight loss.

Over the years a number of different procedures have been developed including the Small Bowel Bypass back in the 50's, and Stomach Stapling, which became popular in the 70's. Both procedures were effective in terms of achieving weight loss but were not ideal in terms of patient comfort and long term benefit.

The Lap Band is the most recent evolution and the procedure is enjoying unprecedented popularity as it offers even more advantages than its predecessors, while eliminating most of the problems.

Browse through the menu on the right for more information on the lap band procedure.

Find Out More

About Lapbanding