Bariatric + Metabolic Surgery


Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery involves altering the anatomy of the digestive tract with the intent of weight loss. Surgeons have devised various procedures that decrease the capacity of the stomach or alter the absorption of nutrients. Generally speaking, aggressive procedures that are effective at producing the most weight loss tend to be more capable of producing serious surgical or nutritional complications than less invasive procedures where the weight loss may be more modest. For instance, the biliopancreatic diversion is one of the most effective procedures for weight loss, but is rarely performed because it also has the highest risk of malnutrition. Procedures like the LAP-BAND® , gastric sleeve, and gastric bypass still help you achieve significant weight loss with fewer complications. With the advice of your primary physician and surgeon, you can choose a procedure that helps you achieve your weight loss goals within an acceptable risk profile.

Metabolic Surgery

Metabolic surgery is a relatively new term, bringing attention to the fact that obesity is a systemic disease that affects the entire body. In addition to weight loss, metabolic or bariatric surgery can make drastic improvements in diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, sleep apnea and hypertension. In fact, improvements in diabetes may occur with just modest degrees of weight loss. Therefore, the types of medical problems you have should play a role in your decision when choosing a procedure.


Contact South Texas Surgeons to find out if bariatric or metabolic surgery is right for you.