Dr. Richard Collier specializes in Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding which is also known as LAGB or the LAP-BAND® System procedure. The LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Band is designed to help you lose excess body weight, improve weight-related health conditions and enhance quality of life. It reduces the stomach capacity and restricts the amount of food that can be consumed at one time.

During the procedure, Dr. Collier will use laparoscopic techniques. This means that he will be making tiny incisions (rather than a large incision) and inserting special long-shafted instruments through these tiny incisions in order to wrap the inflatable silicone band around the upper part of your stomach. A narrow camera is passed through one of the incisions so Dr. Collier can view the operative site on a nearby video monitor. Like a wristwatch, the band is fastened around the upper stomach to create the new stomach pouch that limits and controls the amount of food you eat. The band is then locked securely in a ring around the stomach.

This creates a small stomach pouch that can hold a smaller amount of food so food storage in the stomach is reduced. The band also controls the size of the stomach outlet between the new upper pouch and the lower part of the stomach. When the outlet is smaller, you feel full faster, while the food moves more slowly between your upper and lower stomach as it is digested. This procedure will allow you to feel full and satisfied while you actually eat less and lose weight.

The band is inflated or adjusted with a saline solution through a tiny tube that connects the band to a small access port placed beneath the surface of the skin of the abdomen. Dr. Collier will tailor your weight loss to your specific requirements as the band can be tightened or loosened over time to adjust the size of the passage by adding or removing saline solution.

The procedure is the only adjustable and reversible weight-loss surgery available in the United States.