Laparoscopic Gastric Banding The digestive process begins in the
mouth, where chewing and saliva breakdown food. Digestion
continues in the stomach, where food is tuned into a liquid
called chyme. Chyme next passes to the small intestine. Here,
enzymes from the pancreas and liver further digest food. It is
also in the small intestine where all nutrients and vitamins are
absorbed. Small fingerlike projections lining the small
intestine, called villi, enable digested food to enter the
bloodstream. Laparoscopic Gastric Banding is one of the more
common bariatric procedures because it does not require removal
of any part of the digestive tract. In this procedure, a
silicone band is placed around the upper part of the stomach to
create a small pouch. The inner surface of the silicone band can
be inflated with saline or can be deflated to change the size of
the opening. The band is connected by a tube to a reservoir,
which is placed under the abdominal skin and fat. After the
operation, the surgeon can control the