What is it?

 Weight management surgery refers to a surgical intervention designed to reduce the size of the stomach to assist weight loss in patients with obesity. There are 4 main types of weight management surgery for weight loss:

  • Sleeve gastrectomy – involves removing a portion of the stomach, restricting its size and therefore its ability to hold food and feel fuller after meals.
  • Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) – a procedure in which a small stomach pouch is created to restrict food intake and bypassing sections of the stomach and intestine. This leads to less nutrient absorption and therefore less kilojoules absorbed.
  • One-anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGP) – a keyhole procedure in which a small stomach pouch is created to restrict food intake and bypassing sections of the stomach and intestine. This leads to less nutrient absorption and therefore less kilojoules absorbed.
  • Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) – involves placing a band around the stomach near its upper end to create a small pouch. This restricts intake of food. The band can be tightened or loosened over time to change the extent of restriction

The choice of procedure takes into account factors such as age, access to services for follow-up and monitoring, preparedness to commit to frequent follow-up and continuing lifestyle interventions, previous interventions, and risk profile. For a range of reasons, different specialists offer some procedures but not others.