Bariatric Surgical Options At a Weight-loss Surgical Center

What Types Of Weight-loss Surgeries Are Offered At A Weight Loss Surgical Center?

The WHO describes obesity as one of the most serious yet one of the most neglected issues in the present-day world. It is associated with the degradation of physical & mental well-being of an individual. Bariatric surgeries or weight-loss surgeries are an effective way to eliminate this obstructive health issue by uprooting their causes through medical & surgical methods. Bariatric surgery has gained momentum and has proven to be a milestone in the field of medicine & bariatric sciences. However, there are a wide range of surgical procedures that may be performed under the discipline of bariatric treatments wherein the patient age, health conditions and preferences are various elements that factor the choice of method to be performed

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass:

Gastric Bypass or the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass is a type of weight-loss surgery that involves the creation of a small pouch from the stomach and connecting the newly formed pouch directly to the small intestine thereafter. This technique proves helpful for people with morbid obesity, in cases where diet control and exercise have not been of much help. This new pouch is smaller in size and thus, withholds lesser food, which means lower consumption of calories! Thus, the patient can aptly meet his energy requirements and get rid of the \”extra-munching\” which lead to putting on of all the extra weight.

Sleeve Gastrectomy:

Sleeve gastrectomy, or vertical sleeve gastrectomy, is a surgical procedure that aids weight-loss. This is a laparoscopic procedure in which, about 80% of the stomach is surgically removed out. What is left behind is a tube-shaped stomach of about the size of a banana. The purpose behind this procedure of limiting the size of your stomach is that it would restrict the amount of food you would be able to consume. In addition to this, the procedure also incites certain hormonal changes that aid with weight loss. These hormonal changes also help in relieving conditions associated with the cons of overweight & obesity, such as heart diseases or high BP.

Duodenal Jejunal Bypass with Sleeve Gastrectomy:

This procedure involves the insertion of a medical device that acts as a physical barrier, into the digestive tract. The EndoBarrier or the Duodenal-jejunal bypass liner is a flexible tube of about 60cm in length that prevents the interaction of ingested food with the enzymes and hormones in duodenum/proximal jejunum and is effective in treating type 2 diabetes, which is caused majorly because of obesity. The reasoning behind this process is that, though the food is ingested, but does not get converted to calories.

Duodenal Switch:

This particular procedure can help you pull down more weight as compared to the gastric bypass or the sleeve gastrectomy. It is overall a complex procedure that targets weight-loss in 3 ways. The first part of the process involves a sleeve gastrectomy. Following this, the second part is executed which involves rerouting food from the upper part of the small intestine. This rerouting cuts back on how many nutrients and calories are absorbed by the body. And finally, the third part of the procedure changes how bile juice breaks down food, causing further lesser absorption of calories and facilitating more weight loss. All in all, this surgery reduces your absorption of calories, vitamins & minerals. However, you are put at a stake of nutritional deficiencies in the longer run.

Revisional Surgery:

A revisional weight loss surgery is ideally beneficial for enhancing weight loss results or for correcting complications, if any, in the previous weight loss procedure. In most of the cases, the revisional cases can be treated through laparoscopic procedures with minimally invasive techniques. However, there may be a need to have open surgery, if the complications in the previous surgery have caused extensive scarring.

Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Binding:

It is a laparoscopic weight-loss surgery which involves making small incisions in the upper abdomen. An adjustable band is put around the top part of the stomach, which reduces the size of the stomach pouch. The band, thus, serves the purpose of making you feel full after eating lesser food than usual. The band can be adjusted by adding fluid in a balloon around the band. As the fluid goes into the balloon, the band gets squeezed and squeezes the upper part of the stomach. A small amount of fluid is added to the band each time you visit the doctor and your weight-loss is monitored. If the band becomes too tight, some amount of fluid is removed from the balloon.