Thursday, February 4, 2010

Gastroplasty Procedures

Gastroplasty procedures are most often performed in people that have a serious and substantial need to lose weight. In many cases there are strict criteria to qualify for gastroplasty or bariatric surgery for weight loss, including evaluation of body mass index, lifestyle, eating habits and psychological assessment. The most common forms of gastroplasty or bariatric surgery include gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding, vertical banded gastroplasty and gastric sleeve procedures. In many instances, patients must participate in psychological support and nutritional education as part of the gastroplasty plan.


About


According to WebMD, gastroplasty, which is also known as bariatric surgery, is performed to help those who are considered obese to lose weight to improve overall health. Those who undergo the surgery benefit not only in terms of weight loss, but also from a significant reduction in diabetes symptoms. There are four different types of gastroplasty procedures that may be performed.


Gastric Bypass Surgery


According to the Mayo Clinic, one form of gastroplasty is gastric bypass surgery, also know as the Roux en-y procedure. In this surgical method a small pouch is created by sectioning off a small portion of the stomach. The small bowel is connected to the newly created stomach sac. As a result of this re-sectioning method the stomach is smaller, or reduced. This prevents consumption of large amounts of food and also reduces the amount of nutrients absorbed through the gastric tract.


Lap-Band


Among popular types of gastroplasty procedures, the Lap-Band ranks high in helping with severe obesity issues. According to Lapband.com, the manufacturer's website of the Lap-Band, this surgery involves placing an adjustable band around the upper stomach, sectioning off a smaller working portion of the stomach. This procedure creates the same bypass effect as the gastric bypass procedure but in a less invasive manner since the intestine is not cut but, instead, is closed off by the Lap-band.


Vertical Banded Gastroplasty


According to WebMD vertical banded gastroplasty is one of the less popular forms of gastroplasty. This procedure is done with both surgical staples and a band, unlike many years ago when it was simply done with staples and was known as stomach stapling. Vertical banding is one of the more minimally invasive gastroplasty surgeries. The procedure allows for only a small amount of food consumption and forces you to eat less food, resulting in weight loss.








Gastric Sleeve Surgery


According to WebMD, gastric sleeve surgery is one of the newest innovations in gastroplasty; it is also referred to as laproscopic sleeve gastroplasty or LSG. In this procedure, the stomach is reduced by approximately 75 percent by removing the unused portion. The remaining stomach appears about the size and shape of a small banana. There is no resectioning of the bowel. LSG is often used as the first line of gastric surgery for individuals who are severely obese.

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