I was banded on 2/7/07. My doctor told my husband after the surgery that she had to use the smallest band that they make. Does anyone know what this means? I didn't know there were different sizes. What's the difference?

Hi, I was wondering the same thing, myine is supose to be the standard size, what's the difference?? Good Luck!

Minnesotalady

If you were banded in the US, there is only one company whose bands are currently FDA approved (Inamed -- though several other companies have bands in trials and may very well be approved soon), thus you have one of three sizes, as Inamed only has 3 bands actively on the market (there are at least 2 others in development).

The "standard" band would probably be the 9.75 cm band that holds 4 cc's. There is also a 10.0 cm band that holds 4 cc's. Then, generally for a patient with larger anatomy (whether because it's a bigger person or because the person has a higher BMI and, thus, a bigger stomach due to surrounding tissue), there is an 11 cm band tht holds 11+ cc's. The 11 cm band is called the "VG" or "Vanguard" band.

If you're not in the US, there are numerous other companies apart from Inamed (owned by Allergan) that provide options and different sizes of bands.