Types of Bariatric Surgery

In this video, Dr. Raj discusses the types of bariatric surgery and how they affect your body. Banding is a procedure that reduces stomach size

In this video, Dr. Roshini Raj discusses the types of bariatric surgery and how they affect your body. Banding is a restrictive procedure that reduces the size of your stomach. There are two kinds: Laparoscopic Gastric Banding and Vertical Banded Gastroplasty.

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This video features Roshini Raj, MD. Dr. Raj is a gastroenterologist and associate professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine, and an attending physician at NYU Langone Medical Center.

Duration: 3:01. Last Updated On: Nov. 8, 2017, 6:14 p.m.

Reviewed by: Suzanne Friedman, MD, Preeti Parikh, MD . Review date: June 1, 2017

00:00 [MUSIC]
00:04 >> Let's talk about restrictive surgeries.
00:06 Simply put, restrictive surgeries decrease the size of your stomach.
00:11 The two most common techniques are called Laparoscopic Gastric Banding and
00:17 Vertical Banded Gastroplasty or VBG.
00:20 Laparoscopic means tiny incisions are made to insert thin tubes attached to
00:24 video cameras to guide the doctor through the surgery.
00:28 Because this is considered a minimally invasive procedure,
00:31 it usually means a quicker recovery, less time in the hospital and
00:35 less scarring than an open procedure.
00:38 With Gastric Banding, an inflatable silicone band is
00:41 placed around the upper part of the stomach like a belt or wrist watch.
00:45 This banding divides the stomach into a small and
00:47 a large portion, leaving a narrow opening between the two.
00:51 This then controls the amount of food that can be consumed and
00:54 slows the food as it's emptied from the esophagus into the stomach,
00:58 resulting in a quicker sensation of fullness.
01:01 Unlike many of the other Bariatric Surgery options, the gastric band is reversible.
01:06 And once the band is removed, the stomach will return to its original shape.
01:11 This gastric band is adjustable and allows your doctor to inflate or
01:15 deflate it using a saline solution that's administered through a thin needle.
01:20 The second type of restrictive surgery,
01:23 VBG is more commonly known as stomach stapling.
01:26 In this procedure, a band and
01:28 staples are used to create the small pouch at the top of your stomach.
01:32 The effect is similar to the gastric band.
01:34 The patient will likely eat less food and feel full sooner.
01:39 Now Gastric Bypass surgeries are a combination of both restrictive and
01:43 malabsorptive procedures.
01:45 Malabsorptive means the digestive system is changed, so
01:48 that food doesn't travel through part of the small intestine where nutrients and
01:53 calories are usually absorbed.
01:54 The most common Gastric Bypass Surgery involved stapling part of stomach to
01:59 create a small pouch about the size of a walnut.
02:02 This is the restrictive part of this procedure and is similar to VBG or
02:07 Gastric Banding.
02:09 Next, part of the small intestine is cut and
02:12 reshaped into a Y and then reconnected directly to the stomach pouch.
02:17 This way, when food is digested, it bypasses most of the stomach and
02:21 parts of the small intestine responsible for absorbing nutrients and calories.
02:26 Since food doesn't pass through these portions of the small intestine,
02:30 rapid weight loss can occur.
02:32 Gastric Bypass can be performed through open surgery or a laparoscopically.
02:37 But keep in mind,
02:38 once Gastric Bypass Surgery has been performed, it can't be reversed.
02:43 >> We're lucky today to have made great advances in medical technology.
02:48 And these different surgeries give the right person a lot of options.
02:52 But you should know that they're not suitable for everyone and
02:56 none of these weight loss surgeries are substitutes for healthy living.