Surgery procedures

Gastric banding does not require the stomach or the intestine to be cut. It is more suitable if you have a BMI under 45.

With this procedure, a thin band made of special material is placed around the top end of the stomach dividing it into two parts. This allows the stretch receptors within the stomach to be activated quicker with smaller volumes of food, thus creating the sensation of fullness sooner.

The band can be adjusted, allowing more or less food to pass through. It can also be removed if there are any problems or if you are still not losing weight.

Assuming that everything goes well, you will be discharged from hospital the day after your surgery. It generally takes patients about two weeks to recover and resume normal activities.

At present all obesity surgery is associated with certain side effects. For gastric banding operations this can include: vomiting due to the stomach being stretched by food particles that have not been chewed well, or due to over-eating; erosion of the band; and the pouch can enlarge or the band can slip, which may require further surgery for 10-20% of patients. There is also a failure rate of 10-20% with this type of surgery. However your condition will be monitored through lifelong check-ups that you will have with our specialists, to ensure that we act quickly if there are any problems.

It is also important that you follow our after-surgery guidance to ensure that you maintain your diet and nutrition plans, this will reduce the risk of any problems occurring.

On average patients lose 50% of their excess weight over a two-year period when they have a gastric band.

 

Sleeve gastrectomy can be used as the first stage of a gastric bypass operation or a stand alone procedure.

Bypass operations can be lengthy and complex procedures; for some (those with a higher BMI) it may not be suitable for them to undergo a full bypass straight away. If this is the case then a sleeve gastrectomy is recommended as the first part of a two stage operation, the second stage being a conversion to a roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Patients will sometimes lose enough weight with a sleeve gastrectomy that they do not need to undergo a second stage operation. If a second operation (bypass) is required this will usually be done between six and twelve months after the first operation, depending on the amount of weight loss achieved.

This operation reduces the stomach by about 75%. The stomach is divided vertically from top to bottom, which, although making the stomach smaller, will not alter its function. This allows you to eat small meals whilst feeling fuller for longer. You won't experience any of the same side effects as bypass patients because your digestion will be unaffected. However, you will still need to follow our after-surgery guidance to ensure you maintain your diet and nutrition plans, this will reduce the risk of any problems occurring.

At present all obesity surgery is associated with certain side effects. For sleeve gastrectomy this can include: leaking from the newly formed stomach or vomiting due to over-eating. However your condition will be monitored through lifelong check-ups that you will have with our specialists, to ensure that we act quickly if there are any problems.

It is also important that you follow our after-surgery guidance to ensure that you maintain your diet and nutrition plans, this will reduce the risk of any problems occurring.

Patients can lose between 30 and 50% of their excess weight in the first twelve months when they have a sleeve gastrectomy.

Assuming that everything goes well, you will be discharged from hospital two to three nights after your surgery. It generally takes patients two to six weeks to recover and resume normal activities.

There are two types of gastric bypass; these are Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and duodenal switch.

The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the most common gastric bypass procedure. A small pouch is created at the top of the stomach by using staples. Then the small intestine (which carries food from the stomach) is cut and attached to the pouch. This closes the rest of the stomach.

This pouch can only hold a few ounces, making you feel full more quickly; the shorter intestine means that you have less time to absorb the food.

Assuming that everything goes well, you will be discharged from hospital two nights after your surgery. It generally takes patients between two to six weeks to recover and resume normal activities.

At present all obesity surgery is associated with certain side effects. For gastric bypass procedures this can include: internal or external hernias, vomiting or bleeding or leaking from the join between the stomach and intestine.

Although if you have had laparoscopic surgery the risk of complication is reduced. Patients will be required to take daily nutritional supplements to compensate for those they will stop absorbing (i.e. vitamins, iron and calcium). You will also need to follow after-surgery guidance to ensure you maintain your diet and nutrition plans, this will reduce the risk of any problems occurring after surgery.

Gastric bypass operations allow greater weight loss; patients generally lose up to two-thirds (68 - 70%) of their excess weight within two years.

Further information and advice about these operations will be made available to you at your consultations with our specialists.