Surgical Approaches to Obesity
Surgeons have been treating obesity for over 50 years. Several types of operations have been developed to attempt to reduce the amount of calories that a person gets in a day. We offer two different approaches:
Combined Restrictive/Malabsorptive Operation: Gastric Bypass
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This operation, the most frequently performed in the United States, combines the benefits of restriction and malabsorption. In this procedure a small part of the upper stomach is isolated to provide a small chamber. Food travels from this pouch into a segment of small intestine; digestive enzymes move through a different area of the small intestine. The food and digestive enzymes meet together farther down, bypassing about 15-20% of the small intestine.
Read more about gastric bypass surgery.
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Restrictive Operation: Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band
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This operation is designed to limit the amount or volume of food that a person can eat at one time. When solid food is eaten, it stretches the small compartment of the stomach. This sends a signal of "satisfaction" or "fullness" to the brain. By listening to this signal, one stops eating sooner, which means one eats less food. Therefore the total calories consumed in a day is reduced, thus causing weight loss.
Read more about LapBand surgery.
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