Types of Surgeries
The three types of surgeries are: gastric bypass, laparoscopic gastric bypass and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, i.e. LapBand
What is the Gastric Bypass?
This type of surgery has been preformed by the East Carolina University Department of Surgery since 1978. It is considered the “gold standard” operation with which alternative operations must be compared.
The procedure involves placing three rows of staples near the top part of the stomach to form a small pouch that will hold less than one ounce or 30cc of food or liquid. A portion of the small intestines is attached to the pouch with a small opening, which is called an anastomosis. This opening is the size of the eraser on a pencil. By doing this, food is unable to pass through the larger part of the stomach and the first part of the small intestine. This operation helps with weight loss because it decreases the amount of food that is eaten by causing fullness after eating a small amount of food. It also helps to prolong the feeling of fullness after a meal, because the small hole created prevents food from leaving the pouch too quickly.
The surgery is done by making an incision from just below the breastbone down to the belly button. This gives the surgeon enough room to be able to do the surgery safely and to see the areas of the stomach needed to do the operation. Once this surgery has been performed, it is not reversible.
What is the Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass?
This surgery is another way to perform the Gastric Bypass. The biggest difference in this surgery involves the type of incision used. Instead of using one incision to perform the operation, six small incisions are made on the abdomen. Long instruments are inserted into each incision and by the aid of a camera and television screen, the surgery is preformed. Certain patients may not be candidates for this approach due to their size and weight and past abdominal operations. Again, once this surgery has been performed, it is not reversible.
What is the Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding?
This procedure, better known as the LAP-BAND, is performed the same way as the Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass. However, the stomach is not divided and the small intestines are not rerouted. Instead, the LAP-BAND procedure restricts the amount of food the stomach can hold by placing an inflatable silicone band around the upper part of the stomach. The new, small upper stomach pouch limits the amount of food that can be consumed at one time, and a narrowed stomach outlet increases the time it takes for the stomach to empty. The subsequent reduction in food intake results in weight loss.
