Gastric band in Turkey: Best Clinics and Costs 2024

Is it worth choosing Turkey for gastric band surgery?

Choosing Turkey for gastric band surgery is a worthy option due to its affordable prices, experienced surgeons, modern facilities, and the country's reputation for providing high-quality medical tourism.

We recommend that everyone who is getting prepared for gastric band operation do a thorough research of clinics and healthcare providers to get top-notch services.

The Ministry of Health and the Independent Turkish Medical Associations control medical facilities in Turkey. Most clinics in Turkey have the following accreditations:

• JCI (Joint Commission International);

• ISO (International Organization for Standardization);

• JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) accreditations.

So, why Turkey is a worthy country to undergo gastric band operation?

• Clinics meet JCI accreditation standards are among the top world-class medical institutions. Turkish medical facilities use the most modern techniques and medical equipment, and meet all the standards set by the international authorities, strictly following all healthcare guidelines.

• Gastric band surgery in Turkey is much cheaper than in many European countries, It makes Turkey an attractive option for budget-conscious patients. For instance, the price of gastric band surgery in Turkey starts at $1500, while in the UK and USA, it ranges from $6000.

• Certified bariatric surgeons experience the technique and train at the world’s high-rated clinics. They have accreditations from such organizations as JCI, ISO, the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity, and the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery.

• The availability of modern hospitals with high-tech equipment and high hygiene standards. The healthcare system in Turkey is supported by world-known universities and research institutes, getting sufficient funds for implementing high technologies in medicine.

• Many hospitals provide patients with all-inclusive gastric band Turkey packages that cover surgery, accommodation, and after-surgery care.

• No language barrier: most high-rated hospitals have English-speaking staff to ensure clear communication.

What is gastric band surgery?

Gastric band surgery is a bariatric operation that reduces the stomach’s size, making a person feel fuller after eating less food than usual. It involves placing a silicone band around the upper part of the stomach.

This way, it constricts its volume and reduces food consumption. This bariatric surgery helps lose weight by putting a small ring, which slows food to the stomach without leading to malabsorption.

It’s also known as adjustable gastric band operation, lap band, or laparoscopic banding (LAGB). The band itself is approved as an effective banding surgery for weight loss treatment by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

A bariatric surgeon places the stomach band around the upper portion of the stomach with the help of a laparoscope and attaches a tube to the ring. The tube is accessible via an injection port under the abdomen's skin.

The surgeon then injects a saline solution into the adjustable stomach band through this port to inflate it. It’s possible to change the level of constriction around the upper stomach, creating a small pouch above.

A smaller stomach can hold less food at a time, thus, increasing the feeling of fullness. As a result, a person lowers food consumption overall.

What are adjustable gastric band cost and packages in Turkey?

The gastric band cost in Turkey is up to 70% less than in the UK. That means you can save thousands of pounds.

The average gastric band surgery cost in Turkey ranges from $1500 to $4560. If you want to know how much does a gastric band cost in Turkey compared to the US and Western markets, here's a comparative table:

Medical tourism in Turkey almost always provides patients with all-inclusive packages. It can include free services such as:

• medical procedure;
• hospital and hotel stays;
• taxi transfer 'airport-hotel-clinic-airport';
• language assistance;
• medical consultation.

Still, medical packages can vary based on the healthcare provider. So, we recommend checking the specific clinic you're interested in to specify the package plan. Medical coordinators from Bookimed are available 24/7 to answer your questions and choose the best hospital and healthcare provider. To get comprehensive assistance, just leave your contacts on our website.

What is a gastric band, and how does it work?

Lap bands are made of silastic rubber with an inflatable balloon inside. It makes the band be adjusted. It's connected to an injection port placed under the abdomen's skin. The ring can be regulated with the help of a needle placed in the port, which fills the band with water.

A surgeon decides whether to loosen or tighten the bariatric band over time. A patient should visit a surgeon in four to six weeks to adjust a band. However, a patient can ask to change the tightness level earlier if he/she has some discomfort. 

If a patient has eating issues, can't lose weight, or vomits after each meal, it's recommended to ask a surgeon to adjust the band's tightness. Also, it's possible to regulate the amount of food a person can eat in the future.

Research displayed several groups of patients divided according to the length of follow-up. Patients from a subgroup 0-6 months had 0.6 adjustments per month and 18.3% of excess weight loss. While another group of 6-12 months had 0.4 adjustments per month and 27.2% of excess weight loss.

How is gastric banding procedure performed?

A patient receives general anesthesia, so they'll be asleep and won't feel pain. A surgeon uses a tiny camera called a laparoscope placed in the belly. This tool allows the doctor to see inside it. 

To summarize, these are key features of the restrictive band surgery:

• Up to 5 minor surgical cuts are needed to place a laparoscope in the abdomen to start the operation.
• A surgeon places a band around the upper stomach creating a small pouch at the top.
• It implies no stapling inside the belly.
• The duration of the operation is 30 to 60 minutes.

After the procedure, a stomach, namely a small pouch at the top, will fill quickly. So, a patient will feel full when eating a smaller amount of food than they used to consume before.

Research on the long-term outcomes after the lap band surgery indicated the following data. 125 patients participated in the analysis, with a body weight of around 120 kg and a BMI of 44 kg/m2. The success rate was 50 % after the procedure, with 43% removing a band in 54 months, while 29% of patients underwent their second weight loss operation.

The failure rate of a gastric band surgery is 10-15%, as patients who fail don't follow the rules for success, meaning neglecting lifestyle and balanced diet.

What are the requirements to undergo gastric band surgery?

Doctors recommend gastric band surgery to those patients who meet the below-mentioned indications:

• A body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher or a BMI of 35 or higher with one obesity-related comorbid condition, i.e., hypertension, diabetes, and severe musculoskeletal issues.

• Having unsuccessful nonoperative weight loss attempts.

• Be an adult (18 years old minimum).

• Having excess weight for more than 5 years.

• Not having any other disease that caused obesity.

• Being in good mental health, with no dependencies.

• Being out of any medical contraindications to bariatric surgery.

• Having done medical follow-ups frequently.

• Consult a surgeon before the procedure to get a customized evaluation to be ready for surgery.

Laparoscopic gastric band surgery is an effective way to treat morbid obesity. However, the weight won't come off by itself. Besides limiting food intake via surgery and slowing digestion, people should be highly motivated to adopt new lifestyle changes and diet regimes.

What is pre- and postoperative care of gastric band procedure in Turkey?

Before the operation, a surgeon will ask a patient to make tests and visit other medical specialists to verify a patient's current health condition. It can include the following tests and visits:

• Blood and other tests, i.e., EKG and X-ray, to ensure a person is an eligible candidate for gastric band surgery.

• Prior consultation with a personal healthcare provider, surgeon, or a pre-op nurse about surgery details: what happens before, during, and after the operation, and what side effects may occur.

• Make a physical exam, an all-inclusive health examination including a medical history review, lungs, heart, chest, and abdomen check-ups, discussing medications, some pre-op steps, etc.

• Check a nutrition plan.

• Visit a psychologist to get emotionally ready for the surgery.

If a patient smokes regularly, it's necessary to stop smoking several weeks ahead of the surgery to mitigate the risks and facilitate a recovery process.

Don't forget to share with your healthcare provider or surgeon whether you consume some medicines, vitamins, or other supplements that can influence the surgery preparation. Also, tell a doctor if a woman is pregnant or might be pregnant. A patient also should see an anesthesiologist to discuss the medicine given that will make them sleep during the procedure.

A week before the surgery. A patient should stop taking particular medicines like aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), vitamin E, and warfarin (Coumadin), which can make it hard for blood to clot. A day before the operation, a patient should follow these instructions:

• don't eat or drink anything for 6 hours before the surgery

• take the medicines a doctor told to take with a small sip of water

• arrive at the clinic at the defined time.

What about postoperative care? A patient can return home on the day of the surgery. However, it depends on the health state, so monitoring it attentively for several hours after the surgery is essential. Also, a person can begin an everyday life several days after the gastric band operation. It's recommended to take one week's vacation from work.

The diet regime will differ significantly from the initial one: a patient will stay mostly on liquids and mashed soft foods. Returning to regular meals just six weeks after the operation is possible.

Behavior changes and diet compliance play a crucial role in the long-term success of the procedure.

What are the benefits and risks of gastric band surgery?

As with any other surgical procedure, gastric band operation has advantages and disadvantages. Consider its pros and cons to define whether this surgery type is appropriate for losing sufficient weight.

Benefits of a lap band surgery

1. Adjustability and reversibility.

Gastric bands can be adjusted over time to control the amount of food taken. It helps to get the optimal process of losing weight. A surgeon can loose or tighten with the help of a saline solution that is added or removed through the port under the skin.

This function allows healthcare providers to manage the restriction level based on a patient's weight loss progress and objectives. Another option is that gastric bands are reversible: they can be removed easily, making the stomach return to its initial size and functionality.

2. Low-invasive operation.

Compared to other weight loss surgeries, lap band operation is less invasive. It involves just small incisions, with a short recovery and possibly fewer complications. Gastrointestinal tract and absorption processes are not disrupted like in gastric sleeve and gastric bypass surgeries since no stomach or intestine portions are removed. Patients feel less discomfort and can return to normal life in a shorter time.

3. Gradual weight reduction.

This surgery involves gradual weight loss. A lap band creates a small pouch at the upper portion of the stomach, limiting the amount of food a patient can consume at one time. So, a person feels fuller with smaller portions and consequently gets fewer calories.

Losing weight gradually enables the body to adapt to the food intake and mitigates the risk of nutrient deficiency because of rapid weight loss. As a result, a patient gets a long-term reduction of weight maintenance over time.

4. Low risk of nutritional deficiency.

As this surgery involves no cuts to the stomach and intestine, there are no problems with absorption and nutritional deficiency compared to other weight loss operations. Gastric banding doesn't interfere with digestion and absorption of nutrients. The stomach ring simply restricts the amount of food that enters the stomach.

5. Absence of dumping syndrome.

This side effect is common for such weight loss surgical interventions as gastric sleeve and gastric bypass. This means that a reduced stomach after the surgery can't accommodate the amount of food taken before the operation.

As a result, even a small meal can cause vomiting and nausea. The reason is the removal of a great part of the stomach. With the gastric banding procedure, there's no incision, so the dumping syndrome is fully eliminated.

Drawbacks of gastric banding

1. Slower weight loss process.

Gastric lap banding is characterized by slower progress in weight loss. The difference is that in other bariatric operations, a surgeon removes a great portion of the stomach by diminishing the feeling of hunger. However, the hunger hormone ghrelin remains during the lap band surgery, leading to less weight reduction.

2. Need for regular band adjustments.

It's necessary to adjust the band in four to six weeks to facilitate the weight loss process and foresee possible gastric band surgery complications. So, a patient has to visit a healthcare provider to make this change and achieve long-term success.

3. Possible complications.

There may occur some complications after the surgery: band intolerance, band erosion, or slippage, you should know how to prevent them on time. Such issues require extra surgical involvement or even lap band removal.

4. Lifestyle changes and dietary limitations.

Because of a restriction at the top part of the stomach, a patient should consume mashed and well-grinded food. A patient should consult a surgical dietitian to ask what meal is allowed. Thus, this surgery requires diet and lifestyle modification, including physical activities.

How much weight can I lose with a gastric band?

Generally, the weight comes off slower than with other weight reduction operations. A person should keep losing weight for 3 years maximum. The average weight loss ratio is about one-third to one-half of the excess weight. After gastric band surgery, patients can lose between 40% and 50% of their excess body weight in the first year.

Losing weight after gastric band surgery can improve health conditions if patients suffering from breathing problems, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), cardiovascular issues like high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and sleep disorder.

Reference list

1. J. Khoraki, M.G. Moraes, A.P.F. Neto. Long-term outcomes of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. The American Journal of Surgery, 215 (January (1)) (2018), pp. 97-103.

2. Clément Tavernier, Maud Robert, Julie Perinel. Long-term outcomes of gastric banding: Experience of a single tertiary care center specialized in bariatric surgery. Surgery Open Digestive Advance, Volume 1, February 2021.

3. Evan Valle, Minh B Luu, Khristi Autajay. Frequency of adjustments and weight loss after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. Obes Surg. 2012; 22, p.1880-1883.

4. Cunneen S.A. Review of meta-analytic comparisons of bariatric surgery with a focus on laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. Surgery for obesity and related diseases. 2008 May-Jun; 4: p.47-55.

5. Tammy Kindel M.D., Emily Martin B.A., Eric Hungness M.D. High failure rate of the laparoscopic-adjustable gastric band as a primary bariatric procedure. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, Volume 10, Issue 6, November–December 2014, p.1070-1075.