Types of Surgical Procedures Offered

Depending on the procedure, bariatric surgery changes your stomach’s size and shape and may reduce the length of your small intestine. The goal of bariatric surgery is to limit the amount of food you can eat or absorb.

Currently, our Cone Health bariatric surgeons perform three types of surgeries: Lap-Band, Roux-en-Y and Gastric Sleeve.

Lap-Band: The Lap-Band method involves the placement of an inflatable, adjustable silicone band around the upper part of the stomach to create a small pouch that can hold only a small amount of food. The lower, larger part of the stomach is below the band. The amount of restriction is controlled by adding or removing saline from the band. Food will pass from the upper stomach pouch to the lower part more slowly, causing you to feel “full” longer. Lap-Band procedures are minimally invasive, so patients experience reduced surgical trauma, less pain and minimal scarring, as well as shorter recovery times.

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: [Include diagram or illustration] Considered the “gold standard” in weight-loss surgery, the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (pronounced rue-en-y) or RYGB, is the most common bariatric surgery procedure performed in the United States. Long-term studies demonstrate substantial sustained weight loss after the Roux-en-Y procedure.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass changes the size and shape of the stomach. The surgeon staples across the stomach to create a small pouch at the top of the stomach to receive food. A segment of the small intestine is attached to the pouch, so that food bypasses the rest of the stomach and the first part of the small intestine. This decreases the amount of calories you absorb. Based on certain criteria, many medical insurance plans cover RYGB surgery.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass results in an average of 60 percent loss of excess body weight. The average hospital stay after a Roux-en-y gastric bypass is two or three days.

Gastric Sleeve: Gastric sleeve surgery is a relatively new type of bariatric surgery. This operation removes 75 to 85 percent of the stomach, leaving a small vertical space in the shape of a sleeve. The portion removed produces hormones that curb hunger, so the result is a reduced desire to eat. This procedure also causes food to reach the last loop of the small intestine more quickly, where signals of hunger satisfaction are sent to the brain.