Bariatric Surgery, Weight Loss Surgery Options
There are two basic ways that bariatric surgery works to help patients lose weight and improve or resolve obesity-related health conditions:
- Malabsorptive procedures that alter digestion, causing the food to be incompletely digested and absorbed so that it is eliminated in the stool.
- Restrictive procedures that limit food intake.
Both methods work to help patients lose excess weight, lower their BMI, and transform their health by resolving or improving co-morbidities such as diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma. Weight loss surgery has many benefits that can lead to a healthier, higher quality of life. But as with any surgery, it also has certain risks. Read on to learn more about the different types of weight loss surgery:
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery
According to two organizations, the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery and the National Institutes of Health, Roux-en-Y (pronounced Roo-en-why) gastric bypass surgery is the most popular weight loss surgery in the United States. Gastric Bypass in most cases offers average excess weight loss after surgery that is greater than purely restrictive procedures and has excellent results in reducing or eliminating co-morbidities.
For information on Gastric Bypass please click the following link: Gastric Bypass
Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (Lap Band and Realize Band)
Gastric banding is a restrictive bariatric procedure in which a silicone band is placed around the upper part of the stomach. This band divides the stomach into two portions: one small and one larger. Since the stomach is divided into smaller parts, most patients feel full faster and therefore tend to lose weight. The band is connected to a small tube and reservoir positioned under the skin that allows the surgeon to adjust the diameter of the band by making it tighter or looser, depending on the patient’s individual degree of restriction. If the rate of weight loss is not acceptable, the band can be adjusted. At ASA we offer both the LAP-BAND® and REALIZETM Band procedures.
While The adjustable Gastric Band is usually a more conservative approach from a weight loss standpoint it is also adjustable and reversible, amking it a very versatile solution.
For more information please click the following link: Gastrc Banding
Gastric Sleeve
During this surgery, the surgeon creates a small, sleeve-shaped stomach. It is larger than the stomach pouch created during gastric bypass: about the size of a banana. Sleeve gastrectomy is typically considered as a treatment option for bariatric surgery patients with a BMI of 60 or higher and is often performed as the first part in a two-procedure treatment, the second part being gastric bypass.
