Weight
Loss Surgery Options
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Patients that have a considerable amount of
weight to lose, often benefit from weight loss surgery.
There are several different types of surgical weight loss
options than works for those who are morbidly obese. The
biggest advantage of having weight loss surgery is that most
patients are able to lose their excess weight over a couple
of years and can keep most of the weight off. In addition,
weight loss surgery can also help resolve a host of health
problems related to obesity.
Before having weight loss surgery, a patient
must qualify. A doctor that specializes in these types of
surgeries will carefully consider each patient’s case before
making a decision. For the most part, those who are good
candidates for these types of surgeries must be considered
morbidly obese. This means that they must be at least 100
pounds or more over their normal body weight or twice their
recommended body mass index. |
Patients who qualify for this surgery must be
relatively healthy otherwise and not suffer from problems with
the stomach, pancreas and intestines.
There are generally three types of weight loss surgery
that are performed on overweight people. All of these surgeries either
make the stomach capacity smaller by creating a new stomach pouch, or
shortens the digestion tract by connecting the stomach to the large
intestines and completely bypassing the small intestines. The newer
Lap-Band surgery makes a smaller stomach and is usually recommended
because of the shorter recovery time and risks. In addition, the
Lap-Band is often preferred because it is reversible and adjustable.
Patients experience a more even paced rate of weight loss and are able
to keep it off longer than with other surgical methods.
The Roux-en Y Gastric Bypass is a procedure that
minimizes the amount of food that passes into the stomach. It also
decreases the amount of food that is absorbed into the digestive
system. The stomach is either stapled or sewn closed at the upper half
creating a smaller stomach on top. The intestines are then connected
to the smaller stomach and food passes directly from one are to
another.
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The initial advantages of this surgery are
that there is rapid weight loss right after surgery. This
surgery also has a higher success rate than other forms of
weight loss surgery. However, the gastric bypass is often
more invasive and recovery time is longer. The Vertical
Banded Gastroplasty is a very similar surgery, but the
stomach is stapled and the intestines are left intact.
The more extreme of the weight loss surgeries
is called the Biliopancreatic Diversion. During this
surgery, about three-fourths of the stomach is completely
removed and the rest of the stomach is connected to the
final segment of the small intestines. There are several
disadvantages to this approach including having a higher
mortality rate; the dumping syndrome, more invasive and can
lead to life long bone density loss and anemia. The
advantages to this weight loss surgery are that it allows
for larger meals and it presents patients with the greatest
amount of initial weight loss. |
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