Gastric band in Turkey

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) has been used since 1993 as an effective treatment for obesity. Over the past twenty years, gastric band in Turkey has become a popular medical service among overweight foreigners for the following reasons:

• surgery to install a gastric band in Turkey makes it possible to reduce excess body weight by an average of 60% within 1.5 years;
• the procedure also allows to get rid of type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, problems with joints and spine, and generally improve health and quality of life;
• gastric band in Turkey, unlike bariatric surgeries such as bypass surgery and sleeve gastrectomy, is an organ-preserving (without tissue removal) and reversible procedure;
• the gastric band Turkey price is 40% lower than in hospitals in the USA, Israel, or Western Europe;
• gastric band surgery in Turkey requires a stay in the country of just one week.

If a patient needs LAGB, then a gastric band in Turkey is an excellent choice for those who want to undergo this procedure in a country with European-level medicine. At the same time, the gastric band Turkey price is the most attractive in medical tourism among other countries.

In this country, minimally invasive surgery of the stomach and small intestine has been successfully developing for a long time, the goal of which is significant weight loss. Since 1998, minimally invasive gastric band surgery has been performed in Turkish clinics.

Turkey currently leads the way in bariatric surgery due to the following advantages:

• the country has many specialized surgeons with many years of experience and international qualifications, who are members of the International Federation of Bariatric Surgery (IFSO);
• according to the Turkish Association of Bariatric Surgery (TOSS), the success rate of gastric band and other procedures in Turkey is 98-99%;
• in Istanbul there is a large selection of bariatric surgery clinics (departments) with JCI accreditation and ISO certification;
• the gastric band Turkey price is the most attractive when comparing the cost of this procedure in other countries;
• many clinics offer favorable “gastric band in Turkey” packages.

Positive reviews from foreign patients confirm their satisfaction with the results. Their photographs before and after obesity surgery in Turkish clinics demonstrate the excellent capabilities of local bariatric surgery.

According to the NHS (National Health Service, UK) criteria used by all bariatric surgeons in Turkey, gastric band is indicated for emotionally stable people aged 18-65 years who have:

• BMI (body mass index) ≥ 40;
• BMI 35-40 + 1 concomitant disease, such as hypertension;
• BMI 30-35 + diabetes mellitus or metabolic syndrome.

These people have already tried non-surgical weight loss methods with no results. They are able to follow a certain diet for 2 years after the procedure. And they have no medical contraindications to this weight loss surgery.

Gastric band surgery in Turkey cannot be performed on patients if they have the following diseases:

• cancer of any location;
• severe pathology of the heart and/or lungs;
• autoimmune connective tissue diseases (for example, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma);
• psychiatric illnesses and addictions;
• inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (for example, Crohn’s disease, severe esophagitis);
• cirrhosis of the liver, portal hypertension, varicose veins of the esophagus or stomach;
• chronic pancreatitis with frequent exacerbations;
• previous perforation in the cardiac part of the stomach;
• congenital anomalies of the esophagus and stomach;
• any condition/disease that constitutes a contraindication for general anesthesia;
• disorders of the blood coagulation system;
• chronic use of steroids or other immunosuppressants.

Gastric band is not performed in Turkey during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Gastric band in Turkey is performed by a team of doctors – a bariatric surgeon, a nutritionist, and an anesthesiologist. Depending on the concomitant diseases, the patient may also be consulted by an endocrinologist, cardiologist, or pulmonologist. In addition to examinations by these specialists, before placing the device on the stomach, the patient undergoes:

• gastric endoscopy (EGS) to assess its condition;
• ECG, chest X-ray (CT), ultrasound of the abdominal cavity;
• undergoes general and biochemical blood tests, coagulogram.

Each doctor may prescribe additional tests. This examination algorithm reduces risks and ensures good long-term results from gastric band surgery in Turkey.

Gastric band is a minimally invasive operation that the surgeon performs through 4-5 punctures with a diameter of less than 1 cm. A silicone cuff is placed on the stomach just below its junction with the esophagus. The bandage, like a belt, wraps around the stomach and divides it into two parts. The cuff has a cavity that is connected to the port system using a tube. The surgeon places this device under the skin in the patient’s abdomen. Through this subcutaneous port, he will fill the silicone cuff with saline and regulate its function.

Gastric band in Turkey is performed under general anesthesia for 40-50 minutes. The hospital stay lasts 1-2 days. Suture removal is not required. Recovery after the procedure takes 3-4 days.

The cuffed stomach works like an hourglass. The upper “compartment”, which has a volume of 20-30 ml, quickly fills with a small amount of food. Then the food slowly moves through a narrow opening into the lower part of the stomach. This keeps you feeling full for several hours and allows to significantly reduce your food intake. During periods of lack of food, due to the compression of the stomach with a banding device, the patient also does not experience a strong feeling of hunger. Therefore, the patient consumes a minimal amount of food, significantly reduces caloric intake, and loses weight.

After surgery to install a gastric band in Turkey, a nutritionist teaches the patient to eat properly – 5-6 times a day, slowly, in small portions, chewing thoroughly. This is necessary to get the maximum effect and avoid complications and adverse reactions.

Adjustment of the bandage device is accomplished by adding or removing saline through a subcutaneous port. The diameter of the opening between the upper and lower compartments of the stomach can be reduced (this increases weight loss) or increased (this reduces discomfort and side effects).

The surgeon performs the first adjustment no earlier than 4-8 weeks after surgery. Over the entire period of active weight loss (1.5 years), the patient, on average, requires 5-6 procedures like this. As a rule, the second adjustment is made two weeks after the first. The third is made a month after the second.

Weight loss begins immediately after the first filling of the bandage cuff and after 6 months reaches 40% of excess weight, and after a year – 50-55%.

The advantages of this type of surgery are approximately the same as with gastric ballooning:

• this is a reversible procedure and if “something goes wrong”, the band can be removed without harming the stomach;
• digestion does not suffer, all necessary nutrients are absorbed in full;
• the cost of gastric band in Turkey is less than the cost of radical surgical interventions to reduce the organ;
• with the help of adjustment, the bandage device can be adjusted to the patient’s needs and provide a comfortable level of appetite for him.

Gastric band surgery in Turkey, like other bariatric interventions, has disadvantages:

• to achieve and maintain good results, the gastric band must be adjusted every 2-3 months, that is, come to Turkey to see a surgeon;
• the patient must follow a certain diet, which determines his (her) physical well-being during the period of weight loss;
• there is a risk of complications: slipping of the silicone cuff, infection of the port system, development of a pressure sore of the stomach;
• many patients experience reflux disease in the form of constant heartburn.

To avoid these complications and get only positive results from gastric band surgery in Turkey, you need to contact an experienced bariatric surgeon. Experts Medical will help you find such a doctor in one of the Turkish clinics by receiving an application on the website.

The gastric band Turkey price starts from $4000. Many Turkish bariatric clinics offer an attractive All-Inclusive package, which may include basic services:

• consultations with specialists and examination;
• general anesthesia and surgical procedure;
• postoperative care and follow-up;
• transfer to/from the airport, accompaniment of a translator-coordinator, and hotel accommodation.

The cost of the “gastric band in Turkey” package is significantly less than the total cost of all services purchased separately. You can get information about the best package offers in different Turkish clinics from the Experts Medical coordinator by leaving a request on the website.

For gastric band surgery in Turkey, foreign patients often choose clinics such as Anadolu, Medical Park, Novemed, and Hizar. These medical centers are home to well-known bariatric surgeons such as Burcin Batman, who has successfully performed thousands of procedures.

The specialized departments have accumulated extensive experience in receiving foreigners. Special package offers have been developed for them. Therefore, the cost of a gastric band in Turkey in the best private clinics is available to all foreign patients.

A doctor-coordinator of Experts Medical will help you make the best choice of clinic, you can contact our specialist using an application on the website.

To organize an operation to install a gastric band in Turkey, you need to leave a request on the Experts Medical website for the doctor-coordinator. When contacting the service:

• you will receive free consultation and assistance in selecting a clinic and surgeon, taking into account your financial capabilities and current prices for gastric band in Turkey;
• medical documents will be prepared for you for the clinic;
• you will be organized a trip to the clinic (air tickets, hotel, transfer, services of an interpreter-coordinator) and further visits to adjust the gastric band in Turkey with your surgeon.

Experts Medical provides information support before, during, and after gastric band surgery in Turkey, including contact with your doctor once you return home.