Adjustable gastric band has been promoted as a minimally invasive procedure. The long term data has proven this not to be the case. One of the complications is erosion of Adjustable Gastric Band. The adjustable gastric band results in the least amount of weight loss, as well as the lowest rate of resolution of the co-morbidities of all weight loss surgical procedures. As for the minimally invasive claim of the AGB, one has to also consider all the adjustments, the radiation exposure related to the upper GI and X-rays, as well as the upper endoscopies that are necessary to maintain a band.  I would argue that an average band is much more invasive when one accounts for the total number of procedure that are done on a band patient.

Other complications arise, when, not if, a band needs to be surgical revised or removed. Band removal requires an extensive amount of scar tissue dissection to expose the band before it can be removed. This is an example of a patient with erosion of the band.

Note the very thick scar tissue that is formed around the band (the white tissue on the left lower  corner)