Surgical Techniques

Bariatric surgery comprises a variety of techniques used to close off a large portion of the stomach, leaving only a small pouch for food. This allows a person to feel full after eating much smaller portions of food, causing rapid weight loss. There are four main types of procedures:

• Gastric bypass surgery separates the stomach into two unequal compartments with less than 5 percent of the stomach remaining usable for food consumption. During digestion, the food empties from this tiny stomach pouch into the upper intestine.
  
  
• Biliopancreatic diversion creates a smaller stomach (similar to gastric bypass surgery), but in addition there is less absorption of ingested food inside the intestine.
• Lap band (gastric banding) is a procedure in which the stomach is encircled with an inflatable plastic band that restricts food intake.
  
  
• Gastroplasty is a procedure in which the stomach is stapled close to the top with a small outlet or stoma leading to the remainder of the stomach and digestive tract.

UMCP's bariatric surgeons are board certified physicians who are trained in the latest minimally invasive surgical techniques.