Surgical treatments for obesity

Surgical treatments of obesity are considered the only viable and long lasting solution for major weight loss. Bariatric surgery should be considered for obese patients who have not achieved adequate weight loss with lifestyle and medical management and suffer from the complications of obesity. Bariatric surgery can result in substantial weight loss and resolution of co-morbid conditions. Bariatric surgeries include operation like Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, vertical banded gastroplasty, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding and sleeve gastrectomy. A meta-analysis of 136 different studies, which included more than 22,000 patients that had undergone surgical treatment of obesity, demonstrated an average weight reduction of 60% of excess body weight, with only 1% mortality rate. The present chapter describes the different types of surgeries and their effectiveness.