Weight Loss Surgery

One of the most frequently performed weight loss procedures in the United States and the current gold standard procedure for weight loss surgery, the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass creates a small (15 to 20cc) stomach pouch. The remainder of the stomach is not removed, but is completely stapled shut and divided from the stomach pouch. This means the food you eat bypasses most of your stomach, greatly reducing calorie absorption. At INTEGRIS, this procedure is performed laparoscopically – meaning all of the surgery is conducted via small incisions and small instruments inserted into these “ports.”

Advantages

• Greatly controls food intake.
• Reversible in an emergency, though this procedure should be thought of as a permanent.
• The average excess weight loss after the Roux-en-Y procedure is generally higher in a compliant patient than with purely restrictive procedures.
• One year after surgery, weight loss can average 77 percent of excess body weight.
• Studies show that after 10-14 years, 50%-60% of excess body weight loss has been maintained by some patients.
• A 2000 study of 500 patients showed that 96 percent of certain associated health conditions studied such as back pain, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, diabetes and depression were improved or resolved.

Disadvantages

• Because the duodenum is bypassed, poor absorption of iron and calcium can result in the lowering of total body iron and a predisposition to iron deficiency anemia.
• Bypassing the duodenum has caused metabolic bone disease in some patients, resulting in bone pain, loss of height, humped back and fractures of the ribs and hip bones. All of the deficiencies mentioned above, however, can be managed through proper diet and vitamin supplements.
• A chronic anemia due to vitamin B12 deficiency may occur. The problem can usually be managed with vitamin B12 pills or injections.
• In some cases, the effectiveness of the procedure may be reduced if the stomach pouch is stretched and/or if it is initially left larger than 15 to 30cc.

This surgical weight loss procedure reduces your stomach to about 15% of its original size by surgically removing a large portion along the longer, curved side of your stomach. The result resembles a tube or "sleeve," and reduces the number of calories that your body absorbs, thereby helping you lose weight.

Weight loss from a vertical sleeve gastrectomy is more significant than with an adjustable band initially but somewhat less dramatic than with a gastric bypass. Because a large portion of your stomach is removed, this is an irreversible procedure. At INTEGRIS Health, this procedure is performed laparoscopically – meaning all of the surgery is conducted via small incisions and small instruments inserted into these "ports."