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Mercy Medical Center has become the first hospital on Long Island to offer a new single-incision Lap-Band(r) (laparoscopic gastric banding) procedure for weight loss surgery.

A team headed by Shawn Garber, MD, Chief of Bariatric Surgery at Mercy, with colleague Spencer Holover, MD, is among the first in the nation to utilize the innovative technique, known as Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS), for gastric banding, using just one small opening in the abdomen, through the navel, rather than the five incisions required in traditional techniques.

“SILS is an important new option that holds the potential of less pain, fewer scars and quicker recovery,” explained Dr. Garber, who heads the New York Bariatric Group. “And most patients report that they can barely notice the single incision hidden in the belly button.”

In addition to its latest application in gastric banding for weight-loss, Dr. Garber utilizes the SILS technique for gall bladder surgery.

Dr. Garber is the only bariatric surgeon included in Newsday’s listing of Top Doctors on Long Island, and Mercy Medical Center is top-ranked in weight-loss surgery. Mercy received the 2008 Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award(tm) from HealthGrades(r), the nation’s leading independent healthcare ratings organization, and is a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence designated the American Society For Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Mercy’s Bariatric Center offers both Laparoscopic Banding (Adjustable Gastric Band) and Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass (also referred to as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass) which is considered the “Gold Standard” of modern obesity surgery. Both procedures are performed using state-of-the-art laparoscopic techniques with smaller incisions, less post-surgery pain, less time in the hospital, and a faster recovery.

Mercy offers monthly education and informational presentations for individuals who are contemplating bariatric surgery. For more information contact Mercy Medical Center at: 516-62-MERCY. Or visit on line at: www.MercyMedicalCenter.info
Article source: Innovative Weight-Loss Surgery