Our surgeons are experienced in a range of bariatric surgery procedures including gastric bypass surgery, laparoscopic duodenal switch and gastric sleeve surgery, allowing us to choose the right approach for you. Most surgeons will perform bariatric surgery using the laparoscopic method whenever possible; however, this is a decision that you and your doctor must make together.
In Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the surgeon creates a small pouch at the top of the stomach. The pouch is the only part of the stomach that receives food. This greatly limits the amount that you can comfortably eat and drink at one time.
In the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding procedure, a band containing an inflatable balloon is placed around the upper part of the stomach and fixed in place. This creates a small stomach pouch above the band with a very narrow opening to the rest of the stomach.
A port is then placed under the skin of the abdomen. A tube connects the port to the band. By injecting or removing fluid through the port, the balloon can be inflated or deflated to adjust the size of the band. Gastric banding restricts the amount of food that your stomach can hold, so you feel full sooner, but it doesn't reduce the absorption of calories and nutrients.
In a sleeve gastrectomy, part of the stomach is separated and removed from the body. The remaining section of the stomach is formed into a tubelike structure. This smaller stomach cannot hold as much food. It also produces less of the appetite-regulating hormone ghrelin, which may lessen your desire to eat. However, sleeve gastrectomy does not affect the absorption of calories and nutrients.
As with sleeve gastrectomy, this procedure begins with the surgeon removing a large part of the stomach. The valve that releases food to the small intestine is left, along with the first part of the small intestine, called the duodenum. The surgeon then closes off the middle section of the intestine and attaches the last part directly to the duodenum. This is the duodenal switch.
A small number of patients who have weight loss surgery relapse years later. How much depends on the procedure they originally had to address their obesity. These individuals may benefit from an additional procedure, called revision surgery, to help them lose again and treat specific symptoms.
The first step in getting started with our bariatric surgery team is understanding if you're a candidate for surgery. If you are a candidate, register for an information session below or call our team at (585) 922-2900.
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