Types
The decision to have weight loss surgery is personal. Woman’s can help you choose the plan that’s right for you.
Weight loss surgery works by:
- Limiting the amount of food consumed (restrictive procedures)
- Interrupting the absorption of food consumed or taken in by the body (malabsorptive procedures)
- Limiting food intake and absorption
Vertical sleeve gastrectomy, also known as gastric sleeve, is a restrictive surgical procedure. Your surgeon creates a small, sleeve-shaped stomach by removing the majority of the stomach. The smaller sleeve stomach is roughly the size of a medium banana, larger than the stomach pouch created during gastric bypass surgery. Food passes through the digestive tract normally and is fully absorbed by the body. The sleeve gastrectomy is not reversible.
Roux-en-Y (pronounced ROO-en-why) gastric bypass surgery is a restrictive and malabsorptive procedure. Your surgeon creates a small stomach pouch that restricts the amount of food you can comfortably eat. The digestive tract is rerouted, bypassing the duodenum, which decreases the amount of nutrients, fat and calories your body absorbs.
During open surgery, your surgeon creates a long incision to open the abdomen and operates with "traditional" medical instruments.
Laparoscopic surgery, or minimally invasive surgery, allows your surgeon to perform the same types of procedures using several small incisions, a fiber-optic camera, a video monitor and long-handled precision instruments.