Gastric bypass Comparison to Other Procedures

For obese patients in Los Angeles who have tried traditional weight loss methods without long term success, weight loss surgery can provide a safe and effective treatment option. For patients considering weight loss surgery, gastric bypass surgery has long been a very popular operation in the United States. However, with several options to choose from, it is useful to look at the gastric bypass in comparison to other bariatric surgeries.

Gastric Bypass Surgery vs. Traditional Weight Loss Methods

By the time patients consider gastric bypass surgery, they have already attempted to lose weight through less invasive methods such as dieting and exercise programs. For obese patients, these weight loss options can lead to short term success, followed by weight regain and frustration, because many — if not most — patients struggle to keep off the fat they have lost.

Weight loss surgery can provide superior long term weight loss results for obese patients when compared to diets, exercise regimens, medication or other traditional programs designed for short-term weight loss. Gastric bypass in particular, has a high rate of success in terms of helping patients lose and keep off significant amounts of weight.

This surgery involves physical changes to the digestive system that restrict the amount that can be eaten and the number of calories the body absorbs from the food it does take in. This gives a huge boost to obese patients who find it impossible to sustain diet and exercise-only induced weight loss. However, it is important to note that for any weight loss surgery to be effective, patients still must maintain healthy eating habits and regular physical activity. Weight loss surgery is a tool, albeit a very powerful tool, but patients must commit to a healthy lifestyle if they are going to reap the benefits of their surgery.

Many of our Los Angeles gastric bypass patients successfully lose half or more of their excess body weight within two years of their surgery, and then are able keep it off long term. Although weight loss varies from patient to patient, our supportive and specially trained staff will be there every step of the way to help you reach and maintain your health and weight loss goals.

Gastric Bypass vs. Gastric Sleeve Surgery

The gastric sleeve surgery, also known as sleeve gastrectomy, is another operation performed to treat obesity. The differences between gastric bypass and sleeve include the following:

• In the gastric bypass, the small intestine is rerouted. In the gastric sleeve, the intestine is not altered.
• In the gastric sleeve, a large section of the stomach — including the gland that produces ghrelin, the "hunger hormone" — is permanently removed. In gastric bypass, the stomach is sutured to create a small food pouch, and the intestines are then rerouted to “bypass” the remaining part if the stomach, but this large portion of the stomach is not removed.
• Gastric bypass is both a “malabsorptive” and “restrictive” weight loss procedure, while the gastric sleeve is purely restrictive. Restrictive procedures limit the rate and amount of food intake, while malabsorptive procedures actually alter the way your body absorbs and processes nutrients.
• Gastric bypass is a well established procedure with a wealth of clinical data and proven long term clinical efficacy, while the gastric sleeve is relatively newer, with less long term data available.

Both the gastric bypass and gastric sleeve procedures provide effective significant short and long term weight loss results.

Lap Band Surgery vs. Gastric Bypass Surgery

The lap band is now a rival to gastric bypass in popularity among Los Angeles patients. When you compare gastric bypass with lap band, you find that they are quite different procedures that actually achieve the same result: reduction of excess weight and resolution of weight-related medical conditions, such as diabetes.

The lap band is a small inflatable ring with a tube attached to an access port. The ring is placed around the stomach in such a way that, when a doctor injects sterile fluid through the tube and fills the ring up, it tightens and creates a small pouch for food. When implanted and filled correctly, the patient becomes full after eating a small portion of food, which should lead to less calories consumed and substantial weight lost.

The differences between gastric bypass and the lap band include the following:

• The lap band does not require cutting or rerouting the stomach or intestines, and is considered less invasive than the gastric bypass.
• Although both procedures are very safe, recovery time and surgery risk is generally lower with the lap band than with the gastric bypass.
• The lap-band surgery is adjustable and easily reversible, whereas the gastric bypass provides a fixed adjustment to the anatomy which is technically challenging to undo.
• Initial weight loss with the gastric bypass is often more rapid than with the lap band, and many studies show higher long term weight loss with the gastric bypass as well.

Why choose to have gastric bypass surgery?

Before deciding on any weight loss surgery, including gastric bypass, evaluation must take place in consultation with a weight loss surgeon. The surgeon will help you to decide which surgery — gastric bypass, lap band, gastric sleeve, or other options — is most appropriate for you.

To consult with our weight loss surgery professionals, call (800) 491-1977 and set up a consultation now!

Resources:

• American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists/American College of Endocrinology Obesity Task Force. AACE/ACE position statement of the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of obesity. (1998 Revision) Endocr Pract. 1998; 4:97-330.