Procedures Available
Bariatric surgery is an important decision. While weight loss surgery has shown to be an effective tool, no method, including surgery, guarantees to produce and maintain a lower weight. Success requires a lifelong commitment to behavioral change, new eating habits and medical follow-up.
Deciding which surgery is right for you requires an understanding of each procedure, and the effects on your diet and lifestyle. Some procedures reduce the size of the stomach to curb hunger and limit food intake. Others reduce the stomach size and also change the way your body metabolizes the calories you eat.
Most procedures can be performed using a minimally invasive laparoscopic approach, which often requires a shorter hospital stay. Minimally invasive surgery may lead to less pain and scarring and a quicker recovery.
SADS
The single anastomosis duodenal switch (SADS) is a modified duodenal switch surgery that involves removing about 80 percent of the stomach by forming a sleeve gastrectomy. Next, the duodenum is divided and a loop of small intestine is brought up and attached to the duodenum to bypass about half of the small intestine.
Total excess body weight loss: 75 percent
Average length of surgery: 2 ½ hours
Average length of stay: 1 - 2 days
ROUX-en-Y
This procedure involves dividing the stomach to form a new, thumb-sized gastric pouch that limits the amount of food that can be eaten. The first part of the small intestine, the duodenum, is bypassed, so food travels directly from the new stomach pouch to the lower part of the jejunum, thereby reducing the absorption of calories and nutrients, such as fats and sugars.
Gastric Bypass
During gastric bypass surgery, the stomach is divided or bypassed to create a gastric pouch separated from the lower stomach with a laparoscopic stapling device. The pouch is directly attached to the proximal end of the small intestine or jejunum.
Total excess body weight loss: 60 - 65 percent
Average length of surgery: 2 hours
Average length of stay: 1 - 2 days
Duodenal Switch
This procedure involves the sleeve gastrectomy as described above and reroutes the intestines into two channels, bypassing more than half of the intestines.
Total excess body weight loss: 80 percent
Average length of surgery: 3 hours
Average length of stay: 1 - 2 days
Sleeve Gastrectomy
The sleeve gastrectomy is an operation in which the left side of the stomach is surgically removed. This results in a stomach that is roughly the size and shape of a narrow banana. This small banana-shaped tube or sleeve becomes the new stomach pouch and extends from the natural stomach opening (esophagus) to the natural stomach outlet (pyloric valve). Gastric sleeve surgery helps limit eating by reducing the overall size of the stomach and helps control hunger by removing the part of the stomach that produces the hunger-stimulating hormone Ghrelin.
Since this operation does not involve any rerouting or reconnecting of the intestines, it is a simpler operation than gastric bypass. Short-term results show that gastric sleeve patients who had the stand-alone procedure can expect to achieve 60 to 70 percent excess weight loss at two years. Gastric sleeve surgery may be safe for patients with a body mass index (BMI) higher than 60, and it may be used as stage one in a two-stage operation. For patients with a BMI less than 50, the weight loss results are similar to those experienced by gastric bypass patients.
Advantages of Gastric Sleeve Surgery
- Does not require disconnecting or reconnecting the intestines (no dumping syndrome)
- Preserves the pylorus (no dumping syndrome)
- Anemia, osteoporosis, protein deficiency and vitamin deficiency are avoided due to the fact there is no malabsorption of nutrients
- Only surgery that substantially removes the "hunger hormone" Ghrelin
- Simpler operation than gastric bypass
- No artificial devices (band) are left inside the patient
- No need for adjustments or fills, which are required for adjustable band patients
Total excess body weight loss: 55 - 60 percent
Average length of surgery: 1 ½ hours
Average length of stay: 1 - 2 days
Find out if weight loss surgery is right for you. Call (260) 435-7844 today.
Patient results may vary. Consult your physician about the benefits and risks of any surgical procedure or treatment.