Stomach stapling is another word for gastric banding. It is a surgery classified under bariatric surgery which means that is a surgery with the purpose to lose weight. Stomach stapling is a restrictive operation, it decreases the volume of the stomach. A small stomach pouch is created using both staples and a band. The stomach pouch is not completely separated from the rest of the stomach. There is a small opening left where food can only pass slowly. The gastrointestinal track is left intact.

After a stomach stapling surgery you can only take  small portions of food. However, stomach stapling is not a solution to obesity itself. It is necessary to follow a strict diet after the procedure for the rest of your live, thereby, exercising is essential. Fluids for example can pass the small stomach easily, if you continue to drink fluids that are high in calories, like chocolate milk, you won’t lose weight. The risks of the operation should not be taken lightly. Therefore, strict rules about the severity of obesity are followed before schedule patients for an operation like this. Your body mass index (BMI) have to be above 40, or above 35 if you suffer from severe illnesses caused by your obesity. Risks during the operation are partly caused by the severity of a big gastrointestinal operation and partly by the obesity of which patients suffer.

The effectiveness of stomach stapling surgery is lower then with other forms of bariatric surgery where the restrictive technique is combined with reduction of the absorbing surface. This means that a part of the small intestine is bypassed causing malabsorbtion and from that less absorption of calories. A gastric bypass is more effective but also more radical, it has a bigger chance of complications like for example gastric dumping syndrome (see also: complications of gastric bypass surgery). Stomach stapling shows good results during the first year, most patients lose about half the weight they want to lose during the first year. The difficulty is to keep the weight of; only one out of 5 patients are able to keep the weight of after 10 years.

Stomach stapling surgery was for a long time the most popular form of bariatric surgery, mainly because the lower inpact of the operation compared to gastric bypasses. But since a new techniques in gastric banding is introduced it’s popularity is decreasing. This new technique is an adjustable gastric band which makes cutting in the stomach and using staples unnecessary. The working mechanism is the same, it decreases the volume of the stomach, but it is reversible. the gastric band can be inflated or deflated after the operation by a doctor. Using an access port placed just under the skin, a saline solution is injected to inflate the band. Thereby making the connection between the stomach pouch and the lower part of the stomach smaller.

From this can be concluded that stomach stapling surgery should not be seen as the perfect solution for obesity. In can, however, be a strong helping hand in the process to lose weight.