Single Incision Laparoscopic Gastric Banding Versus Conventional Five Port Laparoscopic Gastric Banding

Gastric banding has been shown to significantly reduce weight and has been approved as a treatment of morbid obesity. The standard laparoscopic operation requires five small incisions for the introduction of instruments and the band into the patient's abdomen. We have developed a technique for performing this operation through a single incision at the belly button. This study compares this method to the conventional 5-incision approach.