Types of Surgery for Obesity

Surgery is becoming more common in the treatment of obesity. Those with morbid obesity, where there is an increased mortality risk, are turning to surgery. Surgery has become an accepted practice in Europe and Australia for nearly two decades, but it wasn’t until 2001 that the FDA approved the procedure in the U.S.

There are three procedures to the surgery.

Restrictive – makes the stomach smaller. Malabsorptive – reduces the size of the intestine. A combination of both restrictive and malabsorptive. Restrictive

This procedure serves two purposes – it restricts the amount of food you can take in, and slows the excretion of food from the bowel. This is done by forming a pouch in the stomach where food is digested. As the pouch holds one ounce of food, it is impossible to eat a lot. There is a small opening at the bottom of the pouch, so a limited amount of food can be excreted. There are two types of restrictive surgery – vertical banded gastroplasty – where the stomach is stapled to create the pouch, and gastric banding or lap band, using a silicone band.

MalabsorptiveBecause of the risk of malnourishment, this isn’t used as frequently as the restrictive procedure. In this operation – known as Biliopancreatic division – part of the stomach is removed and the remaining part – the pouch – is attached to the small intestine. Restrictive and malabsorptiveA combination of restrictive and malabsorptive procedures is called gastric bypass surgery. There are two ways to undertake this surgery. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is a popular procedure. The surgeon makes a small pouch with a stapler or band and makes a y-shape connection to the small intestine. The second procedure - Biliopancreatic Division and Duodenal Switch – means removing part of the stomach, disconnecting it from the duodenum – a tube where food is broken down in the small intestine - and then connecting to the small intestine. The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass has become the accepted surgery in the U.S. with approximately 140,000 procedures undertaken in 2005. The level of success with surgery for obesity is measured by how much weight the individual can lose. If the person loses 50% of body weight and keeps it off for at least five years, then chances of success are regarded as high.

Your Popup Blocker Must Be Off