Gastric Surgery

Gastric surgery to treat obesity was first developed in 1967 in the United States. Over the years, several different types of gastric surgeries have been used.

If a person is diagnosed as severely obese, it means they are about 100lbs overweight. If all diets and exercise programs have failed, then gastric surgery may become an option. The stomach is the digestive organ between the esophagus and the small intestine. It has the capacity of about 2 pints. After surgery, this is dramatically reduced to about 1oz. This means the patient will feel full after about 1-2 oz of food. The most frequently used procedure for restrictive gastric operation is called vertical banded gastroplasty. The purpose of the surgery is to create a small pouch which acts as the new stomach. This is done by stapling the stomach as shown. A band is then placed around the lower end of the pouch. This band has a small opening of 1/4 ". This slows the rate at which food enters the small intestine. This will make the patient feel full for a longer period of time after a small amount of food. After a period of time, the stomach pouch will stretch to allow 4-8oz of food. Restrictive gastric surgery will lead to weight loss in almost all patients. 30% will achieve normal weight and 80% will have some degree of permanent weight loss. However, it is up to the individual to adjust their eating habits to achieve the greatest long term results. Gastric surgery IS major surgery and hence has inherent risks. These include vomiting of food due to the stomach being overstretched, poorly digested food, erosion of the band, breakdown of the staple line and leaking of stomach juices into the abdomen which will require an emergency operation.