Bariatric surgery isn’t a cosmetic procedure like liposuction or a tummy tuck. Bariatric surgery helps patients lose weight by limiting the amount of food intake (restriction) and causing some of the food to be poorly digested and incompletely absorbed (malabsorption). Today there are several surgical options for weight loss. You and your surgeon must evaluate the procedures and decide which one is right for you. Results achieved by patients must be independently evaluated and managed. Actual weight loss will vary.

Gastric bypass surgeries are combination procedures that use both restriction and malabsorption to achieve weight loss, They are the most common types of weight loss surgery performed. The most frequent type of gastric bypass is called the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. In Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, staples are used to permanently close off part of the stomach. This leaves only a small stomach pouch for the food you eat. Additionally, a Y-shaped piece derived from an upper portion of the small intestine is attached to this small stomach pouch. As a result, food from your stomach pouch bypasses the initial sections of the intestine, which normally would absorb calories and nutrients after eating.Gastric bypass can be performed using a traditional open technique or through laparoscopic surgery, depending on your circumstances and the decision of your surgeon. The traditional open technique involves an incision in the abdomen that allows the surgeon to view and access your stomach and intestine.

Laparoscopic surgery uses smaller incisions and a small video camera that projects views of your stomach and intestine onto a monitor in the operating room. Both methods are routinely performed. Talk to your doctor about these two approaches and which would be appropriate for you.

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