There are several different types of weight-loss surgery, each using different methods to reduce your stomach size and help you lose weight. At Clovis Community, our surgeons are experts in two bariatric procedures–Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and Lap Band. Some bariatric surgery patients will also opt for the cosmetic procedure known as an abdominoplasty, or “tummy tuck”, to remove excess skin after weight loss.

If you’re a candidate for weight-loss surgery, our team will recommend the type of surgery that will most benefit you.

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the most common form of weight-loss surgery. It has been performed for almost 50 years. Due to the sheer volume of cases performed over that time, the medical community is well aware of the risks and benefits of the procedure.

In a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, a small pouch is created at the top of the stomach using surgical staples or a plastic band. This pouch effectively acts as the patient’s “new” stomach. It is much smaller than a normal human stomach, about the size of an egg.

The smaller stomach is connected directly to the middle portion of the small intestine, bypassing the rest of the stomach and the upper portion of the small intestine. No stomach or intestine is removed during surgery.

The new connection between stomach pouch and intestine restricts intake and changes the way food is digested. The new, smaller stomach pouch allows the patient to feel full with much smaller meals.

This procedure can be done by making an incision in the abdomen (an open procedure) or by making a smaller incision and using specialized instruments and a camera to guide the surgery (laparoscopic approach). Our surgeons use the laparoscopic approach whenever possible. This minimally invasive procedure allows for fewer surgical complications, a smaller chance of infection, and a shorter recovery time for patients.

Gastric bypass is a proven way for patients to achieve rapid and sustainable weight loss. It’s not uncommon for patients to lose between 40 and 100 pounds during the first three months after surgery. Patients will often continue losing weight at a steady rate up to two years after surgery, until they have reached their ideal body weight that they can sustain for the rest of their life.

Lap Band
The adjustable gastric band, more commonly referred to as a “lap band”, is a surgical procedure involving the insertion of a restrictive device to the top portion of the stomach. The device causes the creation of a small pouch at the top of the stomach that holds four to eight ounces of food. The band slows the passage of food from the pouch to the rest of the stomach. Once the pouch is full, the patient feels full.

Lap bands differ from other bariatric surgeries in that the procedure does not involve the cutting or removing of parts of the digestive system. The band can also be removed easily via a minimally invasive procedure. It can also be adjusted by adding a saline solution to the ring via an access port in the patient’s abdomen in order to achieve optimum results.

Weight loss results from the lap band procedure are typically not as immediate as gastric bypass surgery. Instead, lap band patients often experience slower weight loss over a longer period of time.