| |
|
 |
| OBESITY
TREATMENT OVERVIEW |
|
| Morbidly Obese vs.
Upwardly Mobile: Minimally Invasive Surgeries Offer New Hope |
Laparoscopic
Surgery:
First Choice for “Last Resort”
Treatment
Two Choices. One Goal.
What are the Results? |
| There are many young to middle-aged adults whose
health is being jeopardized by morbid obesity, people who
are at least 100 pounds overweight or twice their ideal weight.
This excess weight often limits their ability to succeed and
move ahead in both business and social situations. They also
risk such life-threatening conditions as diabetes,
cardiovascular disease, hypertension, orthopedic problems, gall
bladder disease and sleep apnea. While
numerous medical therapeutic approaches to morbid obesity have
been advocated, including low-calorie diets, drugs, behavioral
modification and exercise therapy, the majority of patients fail
to maintain the reduced body weight. The only treatment proven
effective in the long-term management of morbid obesity is
bariatric surgery, such as a laparoscopic gastric bypass or
laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding procedure |
|
|
| Laparoscopic Surgery: First Choice for "Last Resort" Treatment
Many morbidly obese patients are reluctant to undergo gastric bypass surgery-traditionally an open, invasive procedure. But thanks to the new, minimally invasive surgical techniques, this "last-resort" treatment has become more appealing. |
| By laparoscopy, the surgeon performs
the same operation as in open surgery, but through small
incisions. |
| Tiny slits in the abdomen allow a surgeon
to insert a camera-equipped scope and surgical instruments to
perform surgical procedures less invasively. Laparoscopic
techniques are equally successful and offer many added patient
benefits. These benefits include less post-operative pain,
reduced risk of wound infection, a shorter hospital stay, faster
recovery and a more rapid improvement in quality of life. |
| Two
Choices. One Goal. |
There are two types of
laparoscopic surgeries that are popular to treat extreme weight
loss.
The most commonly known, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass,
involves refashioning the stomach into a small pouch
and bypassing part of the small intestine. This not only limits
the absorption of food but also produces a feeling of fullness
with a small meal.
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass has been
used for years with clinical results attesting to its
effectiveness. The procedure is irreversible and patients are
advised to thoroughly evaluate its risk factors before surgery.
A less extreme alternative is the Lap-Band Surgery, or
adjustable gastric banding. Approved by the FDA, the procedure
involves less risk than the Roux-en-Y. Instead of bypassing the
stomach, a balloon-like device is banded around the stomach to
produce a small upper gastric pouch, which causes an early
feeling of fullness and satiety after a small meal. The balloon
- like device is inserted through a small incision and inflated
to cinch the stomach and limit its capacity. The operation takes
about 60 minutes and usually requires a one-day hospital stay.
The band can later be tightened or loosened as needed—without
further surgery—by adjusting the amount of solution through
a portal under the patient’s skin. The device can even be
removed entirely if necessary.
Reduced risk,
simplicity and reversibility make the Lap-Band very attractive |
 |
|
| What
are the Results? |
Results depend on a variety
of factors and vary with each patient.
Most gastric bypass
patients experience fairly rapid weight loss in the first three
to six months after surgery. Weight loss slows, but generally
continues up to 12 to 18 months after surgery, averaging 70 to
75 percent of excess body weight.
With the Lap-Band,
weight loss is generally slower and more gradual compared to the
gastric bypass. Typically, patients lose up to 55 percent of
their excess body weight within 18 months following laparoscopic
adjustable Gastric Banding Surgery. The normal hospital stay for
Lap-Band patients is one day with a return to most activities in
seven days.
Regardless of the procedure, it requires a
team approach to solving a patient’s weight problem. This
includes a comprehensive evaluation, as well as psychological
and emotional support before and after surgery for the greatest
chance of weight loss success. The operation itself is not the
whole answer. A multidisciplinary approach—surgeon,
internist, dietician and psychiatrist—is needed to help the
patient lose and keep weight off. The goal is not only weight
loss, but the reversal of serious medical conditions.
|
|
|
| Obesity
Surgery : |
| | |
| |
| |
|
| Weight
loss surgery : |
| | |
|
| |
|
| Gastric Bypass : |
| | |
| |
|
| Gastric Banding : |
| | | | | |
| |
|
| FAQ : |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
|
| |
| | | | | | |
| |
|
|
|
Copyright © 2005-06, Dr. A K Kriplani. All
Rights are Reserved. |
Website Design & Promoted by Webtel Technologies
|
|
|
|
|
