About Surgery

There are multiple types of surgeries designed to lose weight. These operations are not cosmetic procedures . They are designed to control the medical problems that are caused by morbid obesity.

Two types of surgeries are currently endorsed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and are, therefore, considered the standard in this country. They include the vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG) and the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). The operations accomplish one or two main objectives.

One type of surgeries reduce the amount of food that can be ingested. These are called restrictive operations. Examples of this type of procedures are the VBG and the Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding or Lap Band® . These operations create a small stomach pouch that holds ½ to 1 ounce. This pouch connects to the rest of the stomach through a small opening. The result is that as food enters the small pouch, because of its small size, there is sensation of fullness shortly after eating. In addition, the small opening slows down the emptying of this pouch, therefore, prolonging that sensation of fullness. This leads to a lower calorie intake and weight loss.

The second type of operations designed to lose weight produce a state whereby food is digested less well than under normal conditions. This state is called malabsorption. An example of a malabsorptive operation is the biliopancreatic diversion.

A third group of operations combine both restrictive and malabsorptive components in order to produce weight loss. An example of this is the RYGB . This operation causes both restriction and malabsorption. One part of the operation creates a small pouch of ½ to 1 ounce. This causes a prolonged sensation of fullness. The other part bypasses the rest of the stomach and the duodenum to limit some of the absorption of nutrients.

At Southwest Surgeons for Obesity and General Surgery we offer Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, Laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy, Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. And Lap Band® or Realize Band.

The goal of surgery for morbid obesity is to help the patient modify his or her behavior so that with proper diet and exercise a successful and lasting weight loss can be achieved.