Bariatric surgery or surgical procedures for weight loss includes a variety of procedures performed on people who are obese [body mass index (BMI) 35 to 40 with no comorbidities or BMI 30 to 35 with significant comorbidities]. Weight loss is achieved by reducing the size of the stomach with a gastric band or through removal of a portion of the stomach (sleeve gastrectomy or biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch) or by resecting and re-routing the small intestines to a small stomach pouch (gastric bypass surgery).
Long-term studies have shown that the bariatric surgery procedures offer significant long-term loss of weight in severe obese population; whereas they also offer recovery from diabetes, improvement in cardiovascular risk factors, and a reduction in mortality from 40% to 23%.
The Medtourism Group team of Surgeons – in accordance with the American and European Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery instructions- recommend bariatric surgery for obese people with a BMI of at least 40, and for people with BMI 35 and serious coexisting medical conditions such as diabetes. All the experienced Medtourism Group Bariatric Surgeons provide high quality healthcare services; in our affiliated Clinics in Athens, meeting all the international healthcare standards.
Classification of surgical procedures:
- Sleeve gastrectomy or gastric sleeve, is a surgical weight-loss procedure in which the stomach is reduced to about 15% of its original size, by surgical removal of a large portion of the stomach, following the major curve. The open edges are then attached together (typically with surgical staples, sutures, or both) to leave the stomach shaped more like a tube, or a sleeve, with a banana shape. The procedure permanently reduces the size of the stomach. The procedure is performed laparoscopically.
- Intragastric balloon (gastric balloon) is a surgical weight-loss procedure in which a deflated balloon is placed into the stomach, and then it is filled to decrease the amount of gastric space. The balloon can be left in the stomach for a maximum of 6 months and results in an average weight loss of 5–9 BMI over half a year.
- Vertical banded gastroplasty surgery, also called the Mason procedure or stomach stapling, a part of the stomach is permanently stapled to create a smaller pre-stomach pouch, which serves as the new stomach.
- Gastric banding: The restriction of the stomach also can be created using a silicone band, which can be adjusted by addition or removal of saline through a port placed just under the skin. This operation can be performed laparoscopically, and is commonly referred to as a “lap band”. Weight loss is predominantly due to the restriction of nutrient intake that is created by the small gastric pouch and the narrow outlet. It is considered one of the safest procedures performed today with a mortality rate of 0.05%.
- Gastric bypass surgery: A common form of gastric bypass surgery is the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, in which a small stomach pouch is created with a stapler device, and connected to the distal small intestine. The upper part of the small intestine is then reattached in a Y-shaped configuration. The gastric bypass had been the most commonly performed operation for weight loss in the United States, and approximately 140,000 gastric bypass procedures were performed in 2005. Its market share has decreased since then and by 2011, the frequency of gastric bypass was thought to be less than 50% of the weight loss surgery market.
- Gastric Plication is a version of the more popular gastric sleeve or gastrectomy surgery where a sleeve is created by suturing rather than removing stomach tissue thus preserving its natural nutrient absorption capabilities. Gastric Plication significantly reduces the volume of the patient’s stomach, so smaller amounts of food provide a feeling of satiety. Weight loss outcomes are comparable to gastric bypass.
