Weight Loss Surgery Options
Discover all of the bariatric surgeries and procedures available for patients in 2018 and options that may be available soon. Ultimately there are a variety of weight loss surgeries to choose from with all proven results to help improve or resolve a range of issues. Learning about each specific type will help you to determine with your surgeon which surgery will work best for your health.
Gastric Sleeve Surgery
With this type of surgery, a portion of the stomach is separated and removed from the body. The rest of it is formed into a tube structure that cannot hold as much food as possible. This surgery also produces less of the hunger hormone, ghrelin, which leads to less food ingestion.
Gastric Bypass Surgery
With gastric bypass surgery, a small pouch is made at the top of the stomach. This is the area where the stomach will receive food. This limits the amount that one can eat and drink at one time. The small intestine is also cut below the main stomach and connected to this new pouch. Food will flow directly from the pouch to the intestine.
The portion of the stomach that is being used now is reattached farther down, which helps digestive juices to flow. Because a portion of the small intestine is now bypassed, fewer nutrients and calories are absorbed leading to weight loss and the need for regular ingestion of vitamins and minerals following weight loss surgery.
Duodenal Switch
This surgery type begins with a large part of the stomach removed. The valve that releases food to the small intestine is left intact with the first part of the small intestine, known as the duodenum. The middle section is closed off, and the last portion is connected directly to the duodenum. This is known as the duodenal switch. The separated part isn’t removed but is reattached to the end of the intestine, helping to allow bile and pancreatic digestive juice to flow, aiding digestion. This is a biliopancreatic diversion. With these changes, food bypasses the majority of the small intestine, which limits the absorption of both nutrients and calories.
Gastric Banding Surgery
With this surgery type, a band is placed around the upper portion of the stomach and fixed into place. This creates a small pouch above the band with a narrow opening to the stomach. A port is then placed under the skin of the abdomen. Next, a tube connects the port to the band. The balloon can be inflated or deflated over time to adjust the size of the band. Gastric banding surgery is successful at reducing the amount of food that the stomach can hold, so patients feel full faster.
Gastric Balloon
Gastric balloon surgery uses a deflated balloon into the stomach. It is filled to decrease the amount of space in the Gastric area. This balloon is left in place for no more than six months and can lead to extreme weight loss. This can be used before other surgery types to help a patient to get to a safe weight for a different kind of bariatric surgery.
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Important Articles
Most Common Bariatric Surgeries
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Experimental Bariatric Procedures:
Newer procedures which may not have received FDA approval.
vBloc
This type of weight loss surgery option uses technology from the pacemaker in the vagus nerve. The vBloc is delivered through a device similar to a pacemaker. It blocks hunger signals between the brain and the stomach. It also makes the patient feel full faster and longer, which reduces overall food intake leading to weight loss. The device is placed under the skin and has been proven to be the safest implanted device for weight loss on the market.
Aspire Assist
AspireAssist is a non-surgical and reversible weight loss solution. The device is placed in an outpatient procedure. Patients return home in just a few short hours. The system takes just 15 minutes. This stomach pump helps you to chew food more efficiently leading to feeling full faster and better digestion overall. Also, the device can be removed at any time. Because the procedure and device so simple, many patients who cannot afford weight loss surgery may prefer this proven weight loss option.
