Current Medicine Research and Practice (Jan 2012)
Bariatric surgery: Development, current status and the future
Abstract
Bariatric surgery remains the only option for patients whose degree of obesity, along with its associated medical conditions, has reached beyond a certain level, and is not amenable to other conservative means of weight loss. Various forms of surgery are available and indicated in patients who meet the necessary and specific criteria laid down by governing medical bodies. Each of these surgeries has their own benefits and involved risks. The patient and the healthcare provider select the best option by considering the benefits and risks of each type of surgery. These surgeries restrict food intake, cause malabsorption, or both, and thus promote weight loss. They reduce the risk of serious health risks including type II diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnoea. Although the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) remains the gold standard, there is growing acceptance of sleeve gastrectomy as an acceptable procedure, both in high-risk and super-obese surgical patients and also in patients with lower body mass index (BMI). Long-term data has recently become available that proves the durability of this procedure. Therefore, sleeve gastrectomy alone as a technique of weight loss surgery (WLS) is gaining wider acceptance. However, further research is needed to define the mechanisms of weight loss after bariatric surgery, and to document its effects on long- term resolution of co-morbidities.
