I have an appt today with my surgeon. I didn't realize there were these two options. Not sure if my surgeon does the plication (I will ask). It seems (after watching videos) the the plications part of the procedure acts as a gastric sleeve with a band. Can someone explain this to me before I have my appt this afternoon. Is the band alone as effective as the bad with plication?? Now I am full of questions....! argg.... HELP... lol Lisa

My doctor explained to me that plication is where they take and fold your stomach up around the band to help keep it in place. It helps the reduce of slips. He does it as a standard procedure with the band automatically. He says that the band manufacturers recommend it for better results. I am 6months post op and have lost 67lbs so I think it must be working. I know CarolinaGirl has plication as well. Best of luck at your appointment

I have an appt today with my surgeon. I didn't realize there were these two options. Not sure if my surgeon does the plication (I will ask). It seems (after watching videos) the the plications part of the procedure acts as a gastric sleeve with a band. Can someone explain this to me before I have my appt this afternoon. Is the band alone as effective as the bad with plication?? Now I am full of questions....! argg.... HELP... lol Lisa

My understanding is that the sleeve cuts away a piece of your stomach where the plication folds it over and stitches it. That part they fold over triggers hunger signal so I think that plication is an added tool. I personally only have the band and am doing great.

I don't personally have plication, (wasn't offered when I had my band in 09 ) but have done a LOT of reading and talking with folks about it. There are some very successful folks on here who had both the band and plication done. It's not offered at many locations...YET. I believe it will be the standard sometime in the near future. Its still considered experimental, so difficult to get insurance to cover. Heres a link to one surgeons website explaining it and the benefits:

http://drsimpson.net...ss-surgery.html

"Gastric Plication PLUS Lap-band Surgery (iLap) - new surgical solution for the super obese

Lap-band surgery plus Gastric Plication may be the perfect surgical combination for super morbidly obese patients. Because Gastric Plication causes a quicker more complete satiety, the patient can eat much less food. The lap-band further limits the amount of food that can be initially ingested. But its most important job is to heighten the sensitivity of the nerves at the top of the stomach. Those are the nerves that send the signal to the brain that you are full. So the combination of Gastric plication with Lap-band surgery results in fast satiety with much less food than the individual surgeries. iLap surgery is a double restrictive procedure that is adjustable to keep it working over the long run as is required by super morbidly obese patients. It can result in the same weight loss as the Lap-band over gastric bypass. But the small intestine is untouched and completely intact so it will deliver all the nutrition and energy in food consumed by the patient. The energy a super morbidly obese person desperately needs to get on their feet and move. Lap-band and Gastric Plication surgeries can be reversed because none of the stomach or intestines are surgically removed. Because both surgeries are less damaging than gastric bypass, recovery time can be much shorter. Physical therapy and exercise may be able to be done sooner after surgery and with more intensity, possibly improving the patient's prospect for living."

My doctor explained to me that plication is where they take and fold your stomach up around the band to help keep it in place. It helps the reduce of slips. He does it as a standard procedure with the band automatically. He says that the band manufacturers recommend it for better results. I am 6months post op and have lost 67lbs so I think it must be working. I know CarolinaGirl has plication as well. Best of luck at your appointment

If you search Lap Band Plication on YouTube....you can see the actual surgery. It is not the overlapping to hold the band in place...! Much much more.....it actually kinda reduces the remaining stomach in half...creating almost a sleeve result. Curious to ask my surgeon about it.

Thanks for the replies.....I appreciate it... Lisa

Interesting... My surgeon never mentioned plication as an option, but he did mention that slippage would be unlikely since he folded the stomach over the band. Does that help with hunger control as well? I've been meaning to ask, but my next visit isn't for another few months.

My doc did/does both. When I first went in I told him I wanted band with plication. We discussed my life style, my eating habits, my current and past weight issues. After the discussion he said if it were up to him, his recommendation would be straight banding. My highest weight was 244, I had no co-morbids- all labs were still in good ranges. He said that he saw no reason for me to put my body through a more stress procedure, when I could do just as well with dedication to the band. But, he said if I wanted to do the plication as well he would do it.

After thinking about it and talking to the hubs, I opted for straight banding. I've lost 60lbs in 1 year. Maybe if I would have had plication it would have been more, maybe not.

I think with or with out people can be successful, it is more about dedication than anything else.

My advice would be to talk to the surgeon, have a frank conversation about you. See what he advises, think about it- research. Then make up your mind and commit to it.

Good luck with which ever way you go!!

I had my lap band with plication surgery in October of 2011. I believe it does improve overall weight loss.

My understanding of plication, unless something has changed in the last six months: It is still in the experimental/research phase. A doctor has to be approved to do this and is required to follow the patients that opt for band with plication for five years. They fold the stomach inward and stitch it up, very similar to the sleeve, but without actually cutting the stomach. So far the research is showing that patients with band and plication need fewer, if any, fills. It also greatly reduces the possibility of slipped bands. Also, because this is in the research phase, there is no additional cost for plication over just banding alone.

I have the band without the plication ~ I am prove positive that you can lose with the band alone, as are many other wonderful people on here. I think it all comes down to you doing the right thing post op...Best Wishes MsGal

From my understanding, Plication is a separate procedure that can be combined with The Lap Band, that gives an added benefit to gastric banding alone. Plication is not simply stitching the gastric band in place, it is a totally separate procedure. Plication is a procedure that folds the stomach into a much smaller size, that looks similar to a banana, and is STITCHED in place. (Like the VSG, but the stomach for the Plication is NOT cut, only stitched closed in the shape of the VSG) The Plication is REVERSIBLE, all that has to be done is go in and remove the sutures if needed or desired, where as with the VSG, once the stomach is cut and removed, its gone for good. And some doctors are combining the gastric band with Plication, and when this is done, you get the weight loss benefits of VSG without the complications of malabsorption, leakage, and being NON- REVERSIBLE etc. This combined procedure is also called "i lap" or "i band" or Imbricated Band. From my understanding, if you have the combined procedure, there may be no need for filling the gastric band, due to the combined benefits, simply adding the band is enough restriction. Some patients have one fill, and that's enough for them. I have added three links that explains Imbricated Banding. And yes, I have my first appointment in 6 days, and I am wanting the I Band, it seems like the best procedure for me. Best Wishes to everyone.

http://www.drgeiss.c...edPlication.pdf

http://midsouthbaria...m/ilap-surgery/

http://www.wndu.com/..._112272319.html