Obesity is a condition in which a person is grossly overweight. It is a prevalent and chronic problem. A person can determine whether or not he/she is obese using a formula called the Body Mass Index (BMI). This measurement can also be used to determine how obese a person is. The calculation looks at a persons weight in proportion to his/her height.
Bariatric surgery is weight loss surgery. There are a number of procedures that can be done to achieve this. There are two main principle that are the cornerstones of weight loss surgery, restriction and malabsorption.
Restrictive Procedures involve altering the stomach to restrict the amount of food taken in and cause people to feel full more quickly with smaller portions of food. All procedures are done laparoscopically. The following are some of the restrictive procedures we provide:
- Adjustable gastric band - This procedure involves placing a circular silicon band around the upper portion of the stomach. When serially inflated it restricts the amount of food that may pass through the band. It is inflated using a port that is placed just underneath the skin on the anterior abdominal wall
- Sleeve gastrectomy - This procedure induces weight loss by reducing the stomach to about 15-20% of its original size. This is done using stapling devices along the long axis of the stomach excluding a large portion of the stomach from the remainder of the GI tract. Ultimately, a person is left with a long tubular "sleeve" almost shaped like a banana that will reduce the amount of food the stomach can receive.
Historically, exclusive malabsorptive procedures involved bypassing the majority of the GI tract using the intestines. Today, this idea is used in combination with restrictive principles to induce weight loss.
- Gastric Bypass (Roux-en-Y bypass) - In this procedure a small stomach pouch is created using staplers and connected to the intestines farther down the tract. This allows for both restriction of food intake and malabsorption by bypassing a large portion of the intestines. The food now has a shorter time to be absorbed.
The decision on the correct procedure for a person depends on many factors including surgical candidacy, comorbidities, amount of weight loss desired and patient preference. Furthermore, the decision for surgery is one that involves a thoughtful, deliberate approach. When considering weight loss surgery access to resources and proper information is important. The Beaumont Weight Loss center is a great resource for people to investigate various weight loss solutions and attend seminars specifically aimed at this problem. To obtain more information or register for a seminar visit the following website:
When performing bariatric surgery the American College of Surgeons recommends that it should be done in high-volume centers with expert bariatric surgeons. Beaumont Hospitals in Royal Oak is one of a few Centers of Excellence in bariatric surgery within the state of Michigan.
Below are a number of helpful links as you decide what the right approach is for you:
Bariatric