The Access Port & Where to Find it?

All gastric bands have an access port which is placed under the skin for easy access by a medical practitioner. A specialised needle is used to avoid damage to the diaphragm of the port. These ports can often be felt by the patient, depending on their individual fat layer and port position. A wide range of various port positions are employed by surgeons. In order to reduce the prominence of the port, it is possible to place a port under the muscle layer where it is slightly more difficult for the practitioner to access but better tolerated by the patient.

Patients report differing experiences with the needle access of their port. Many patients feel little or no pain at all during port adjustment. Others are particularly sensitive to the needle, particularly if the port is hard to find. Sometimes ports can flip or migrate making adjustments difficult or impossible. Xray or ultrasound guidance can sometimes be used to access ports which are particularly troublesome.

A: Gastric band port being accessed by a needle through the skin
B: Non-coring needle for safe port access

The access port for the gastric band is found under the skin, usually in the upper abdomen. In most cases it will be firmly attached to the underlying muscle layers.

There are a wide range of surgeon preferences for port placement.

Your port could be right in the middle of the upper abdomen, or off to the left or right.

Occasionally surgeons place the port underneath the abdominal muscles in which case it will be very difficult for you to feel.

A.: Some of the more commonly used positions for the gastric band access port
B : This port has been placed underneath the muscle to prevent excessive protrusion

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