What is bariatric surgery?

Weight loss has been shown to improve and sometimes even resolve obesity-related diseases. Bariatric surgery is one option for weight loss. Non-surgical options are also effective in triggering weight loss but have less success in long term weight maintenance. Bariatric surgery produces significant and sustainable weight loss.

Bariatric surgery achieves this effect by limiting the amount of caloric intake (restrictive) and/ or limiting the amount of caloric absorption (malabsorptive).

In Singapore, the 2 most commonly performed procedures are the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy

Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

The laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is a restrictive procedure. Part of the stomach is resected, leaving a small sleeve-shaped stomach. This limits the amount of food ingested.

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y bypass

laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypassThe laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is a mixed restrictive/ malabsorptive procedure. No organs are resected. Instead, the normal anatomy is reconfigured. A small stomach pouch is created by disconnecting it from the rest of the stomach. This limits the amount of food ingested. The stomach pouch is then joined to downstream small intestine. The small amount of ingested food hence ‘bypasses’ the rest of the stomach and upstream small intestine to enter directly into downstream small intestine.