The Comprehensive Weight Loss Center at Emory Decatur Hospital offers three surgical options for treating morbid obesity, the Lap-Band® System, the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy.
Lap-Band® System
The Lap-Band® System is designed to help you lose excess body weight, resolve obesity-related health conditions and enhance quality of life. This procedure offers the only adjustable surgery that does not require cutting and stapling of the stomach or gastrointestinal rerouting to bypass normal digestion. The Lap-Band® System is a tool to help achieve sustained weight loss by limiting how much can be eaten, reducing appetite and slowing digestion. The amount of weight lost depends on both the band and the motivation and commitment of your new lifestyle and eating habits.
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
The most frequently performed weight loss procedure in the U.S., the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, is considered by many to be the gold standard procedure for weight loss surgery. The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is both a restrictive and a malabsorptive procedure. It limits the amount of food intake as well as the types of food that can be eaten. The Roux-en-Y procedure is performed using minimally invasive surgical techniques, also known as laparoscopic surgery. The average excess weight loss in the Roux-en-Y procedure is generally higher in a compliant patient than with purely restrictive procedures.
Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy
A lap sleeve gastrectomy is a type of weight-control surgery that removes part of the stomach. This results in a new stomach that is roughly the size and shape of a banana. Once the stomach is smaller, you feel full very quickly when you eat. The sleeve gastrectomy does not require the implantation of an artificial device inside the abdomen.
Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy with Single Anastamosis Loop Duodenoilial Bypass
Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy with Single Anastamosis Loop Duodenoilial Bypass (or Loop DS) is very similar to the duodenal switch (this refers to where most of the stretchable stomach is permanently removed and significantly shrinks the stomach capacity, but the basic stomach structure remains the same so calorie absorption decreases).
With this procedure, a portion of the stomach is removed (a.k.a. sleeve gastrectomy). In addition, the intestines are rerouted so calorie absorption is reduced. The intestine is attached approximately 8 -10 feet from the colon to the first part of the small intestine to the pyloric valve (which controls the flow of partially digested food from the stomach to the small intestine). This creates a loop that diverts the food stream from the top half of the small intestines, and in turn, creates a shorter channel which helps decrease the chances of weight regain by decreasing calorie absorption. Patients typically report a significant decrease in hunger and food consumption after this operation.
