Weight Loss Surgery Options

1. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy removes approximately 75 to 80 percent of the stomach and forms it into a slender tube that can hold a limited amount of food. As a result, patients take in fewer calories and feel fuller, faster. The surgery can be performed through smaller incisions than traditional surgery using the laparoscopic approach, which lowers some of the risks to the patient.
2. Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery creates a small stomach pouch and reroutes the intestines. The restrictive nature of the pouch limits the amount of food that can be eaten, so patients feel full sooner, and the rerouted intestines absorb fewer minerals.
3. The Lap-Band laparoscopic adjustable gastric band is a silicone band placed around the upper portion of the stomach. The placement of the band restricts how much the stomach can hold and thus the amount of calories that can be consumed. The restrictive band also causes patients to feel satiated sooner and sends signals to the brain to eat less.
4. Gastric balloon(s) are available as a self-pay option to those patients who have a BMI between 30 to 40. There are two different options currently available as Nevada Surgical. The ORBERA balloon is a soft silicone balloon endoscopically placed in the stomach and inflated with saline. It provides a feeling of fullness so patients consume fewer calories. The balloon remains in the stomach for up to six months, at which point it is endoscopically removed. Placing the balloon can be completed during a quick, in-office procedure under light sedation. A second balloon option is the Obalon balloon. This is a swallowable balloon that is inflated with gas. Typically, patients swallow three separate balloons over the course of the first 12 or so weeks and then all three balloons are endoscopically harvested at six months.