Procedures

Which procedure is right for you?

Overview

Importance of weight loss surgeries

Who is eligible for bariatric or weight loss surgery?

Which procedure is right for you?

Gastric Sleeve

SIPS /SADI-S bariatric surgery

Roux en y gastric bypass

Lap Band Surgery

Which procedure is right for you?

There are 3 classes of effective weight loss surgeries:

Gastric Sleeve

Gastric Bypass

SIPS/SADI-S Bariatric Surgery

Each of these surgeries makes the stomach smaller and will induce hormonal changes so a patient feels more full after eating less food. Some procedures affect the way the body absorbs calories and nutrients on top of restricting the size of the stomach. There are several procedures that fall into these categories. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric surgery approves of only 6 safe and effective procedures

Gastric Bypass (Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y)
Duodenal Switch (Biliopancreatic diversion). The Duodenal Switch can be modified into the Stomach Intestinal Pylorus Sparing Surgery (SIPS), a type of gastric bypass.
Gastric sleeve
Adjustable Gastric Banding
Preoperative Procedures
Open procedures as deemed appropriate by the surgeon

Reoperative bariatric weight loss surgery is any kind of surgery designed to revise the results of other procedures that resulted in complications or insufficient weight loss. Open procedures refer to any procedure where the body is opened up with a large incision as you may have seen in TV or movie depictions of surgery.

Dr. Rao’s expertise allows him to operate laparoscopically (minimally invasive) with just a 4-5 (0.5 to 1 cm) incisions. Minimal invasive techniques offer shorter operative time, length of stay, and fewer complications. The small incision also means less scarring post-surgery and lower likelihood of infection. However, laparoscopic surgery is not appropriate for every patient and in some cases, surgeons will not know if they can perform the procedure laparoscopically until the surgery is underway. Various medical conditions may make laparoscopic surgery unsafe for certain patients.

The adjustable gastric band, gastric sleeve, and the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass are the most common procedures in Australia. However, gastric bypass (including Roux-en-Y, SIPS) and sleeve gastrectomy usually result in the most weight loss and lowest rates of reoperation. Nevertheless, no one procedure is strictly better than the others.

Each procedure offers different options, rates of weight-loss, risks, lengths of stay in the clinic, recovery instructions, exercise considerations and nutritional considerations (See this issue of Australian Family Physicians for suggestions on monitoring blood nutrient levels, supplements and puree food).

So how do you know which procedure is right for you ?

All the procedures require you to have had unsuccessful attempts at non-surgical weight loss treatments
All the procedures require you to make lifestyle changes such as changes to eating habits after surgery
All the procedures require you to not have an alcohol addiction

Type of Surgery