Compare Weight Loss Surgery Procedures

According to weightlosssurgeryinfo.com, surgeons began to believe surgical intervention could be useful in weight loss after seeing patients' dramatic weight loss after routine removal of large portions of the stomach or intestines in diseased patients.

Surgical Options

• The American Society for Bariatric Surgery has two main techniques it believes are the most useful in patients seeking to lose weight. One is a restrictive procedure that limits the amount of food a person can consume. The other technique involved altering the digestive process, causing food particles, such as fat, to go unabsorbed and removed from the body via the stool.

  Restrictive procedures include stomach stapling (gastric bypass) and something called the lap-band procedure. The difference between the two is substantial. The lap-band surgical procedure is minimally invasive, being performed laparoscopically via three small incisions in the abdomen. It is typically a one-day hospital stay. The surgeon enters the abdomen and puts a band around the stomach, effectively creating a smaller stomach, capable of handling only small amounts of food. The band can be left on or removed at any time.

  Gastric bypass, or stomach stapling has the same principle of decreasing the size of available stomach, however, it is a more involved open procedure with longer hospital stays. With both procedures patients must adhere to a special diet that will limit the amount of gas in the stomach. They also need to begin eating slower and gradually introduce exercise into their regimen.

  Malabsorptive techniques involve bypassing much of the intestine, limiting the amount of time food has to absorb in the body. Sometimes malabsorptive techniques and restrictive techniques can be combined, increasing the overall change for weight loss. However, patients undergoing this must make sure they get adequate vitamins and minerals via supplements since they don't have the chance of absorbing the nutrients from the food they eat. As with the restrictive procedures above, diet modification and eating habits are necessary for optimal patient comfort and for the best results.

  Lastly, the option of complete removal of part of the stomach, called a gastrectomy (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/weightlosssurgery.html). Like the lap-band procedure, this can be accomplished laparoscopically so the patient recovers quicker and is in less discomfort. Also, because the function of the intestines is not altered in any way, the patient does not need to take nutritional supplements but will have to adhere to a modified diet plan.