Bariatric surgery: four recent surgical advances to help with weight loss
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Obesity worldwide is reaching epidemic proportions. In the UK, it is estimated that 24.9% of the population is overweight, giving reason as to why the country has been dubbed one of “the fattest nations in Europe”. Nowadays, however, there are a number of surgical techniques and other therapies available that aim to curb the problem before it gets out of hand.
Latest bariatric surgery techniques
The intragastric balloon
The intragastric balloon aims to improve weight loss by limiting the possible intake of food so the patient feels fuller more quickly - much sooner than what their normal appetite would allow them. It remains in the stomach for 6 months, encouraging the body to adapt to healthier portion sizes at mealtimes. Weight loss during this time averages 10-15 kgs.
New drug therapies
Drugs previously used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes can now be prescribed for weight loss purposes. These come from a family of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which is a gut hormone released following the intake of food. This hormone stimulates the increase of insulin, while inhibiting the release of glucagon, ultimately decreasing the amount of food consumed through increased satiety, which refers to the feeling of being full after eating. Weight loss has been shown to be effective in both diabetic patients, and patients who do not have the condition.
The Apollo OverStitch device for endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty
This endoscopic suturing system allows surgeons to place sutures (a surgical stitch used to hold tissue together) in the stomach through a flexible endoscope. An endoscope is a surgical instrument which is tubular in shape, and can be used to look deep into the body. They can be used to examine, diagnose, or assist in surgery. The stitches which are placed using the Apollo OverStitch essentially shrink the size of the stomach. The implantation of these sutures ultimately leads to the patient adapting a healthier way of eating as their appetite is reduced.
Mini gastric bypass (MGB)
The mini gastric bypass works by restricting the amount of food that can be eaten at any one time, and also causes malabsorption, which limits the absorption of foods in the intestinal tracts. In the first part of mini gastric bypass surgery the stomach is divided and a small tube of stomach created which becomes the pouch. This is the restrictive part of the procedure and means that only a small amount of food can be taken at any one time. Next, the surgeon brings up a loop of bowel (about 200-300cm long) and joins this to the lower part of the stomach pouch. This means that food passes from the small pouch into the small bowel where it meets the digestive juices which have moved downwards from the main part of the stomach. In effect, therefore, about 2-3 metres of small bowel has been bypassed before absorption of food (and calories) can take place. Fewer calories absorbed translates to weight loss.
The future of weight loss surgery
Bariatric surgeons are constantly trying to develop new, less invasive techniques such as the ones mentioned before, aiming to avoid scars altogether. However, for now, traditional bariatric operations such as the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass procedures are still the most effective scientifically proven means for significant long-term weight loss.
Who needs it and how much does it cost?
If you have a BMI over 27 you may be eligible for endoscopic therapies and BMI 30 and over, you may be eligible for weight loss surgery. Prices start at around £5,500, depending on the type of treatment chosen.
To learn more about these procedures, make an appointment with a specialist bariatric surgeon.
