Can a band leak and cause problems down the road? Would I need another surgery if this happens?
A lap band leak is extremely rare. The place where it can leak is either at the port or at the tubing. If a leak is suspected it can be tested under fluoroscopic (xray) guidance and the exact point of the leak can be identified. Usually the port replacement or tubing replacement can be done under local anesthesia with a very small incision over the port.
yes - the band is essentially a plastic (silicone) device, that can break and hence cause leak. if that happens, its effectiveness is lost. if you do not need the band to be inflated to maintain satiety and weight loss, theoretically it can just be left in place as long as its not causing any other problem. aside from that, yes the malfunctioning component would need to be replaced.
