Most people automatically call all gastric Carbofix bands by the brand name: LAP-band. However, there are three types often used in band procedures: LAP-band, the Swedish Band and the Midband. The differences between the styles of bands amounts to the level of "balloon" that is a padding to cushion the walls of the abdomen from the restrictive band, and the amount of adjustability.
The Swedish Band (actually manufactured in Switzerland not Sweden) is the most adjustable of all the bands, and used in surgeries known as AGB, or adjustable gastric banding. AGB is a more gradual method than the other forms of gastric bands as there is less initial restriction so that dieter's can gradually get used to eating a lower calorie diet, and the band is then restricted at various stages until it is at the maximum level.
Other gastric bands start out at the maximum level right off the bat. Those types of gastric bands have the fastest weight loss, but some argue the long-term success is less effective because dieters really do not learn how to properly adjust their eating over time and develop a healthier lifestyle.
