Why Patients Choose Band or Bypass

The growth of bariatric surgery over the past decade has been fueled by patient demand. There are several surgical procedures used for morbid obesity. The two most popular are the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). There is a lack of consensus among experts regarding the best procedure for the patient. Currently, the choice of LAGB versus LRYGB is based on either surgeon's preference or patient's choice due to the lack of well-designed randomized control trials. In this paper, we reviewed the literature on why patients would choose LAGB or LRYGB. We discuss the issues of current research, internal patient influences, and external patient influences.