Obesity is extremely common in our society and there are many problems that are either caused by, or worsened by, obesity. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, gallstones, heart disease and vascular disease. There are many different weight loss treatments available, one of which is surgery.
The initial treatment of choice for obesity is diet and exercise, which may be successful for some but is difficult to be successful and to continue long-term, particularly in the morbidly obese. There are meal replacement products but these are also often not long-term solutions. There have been some medications for treatment for obesity but these too are limited in their long-term use and success and can have unwanted side effects.
Currently, surgical therapy, as part of a multi-disciplinary approach to obesity, offers the only practical means of maintaining long-term weight loss and a reduction in obesity related health problems and improving quality of life.
There are various obesity surgeries currently available, which differ in the techniques used, their potential early and late complications, levels of expected weight loss and requirements for follow up. These are:
- Adjustable Gastric Banding
- Sleeve Gastrectomy
- Gastric Bypass
- Mini Gastric Bypas
- Revision Bariatric Surgery
- Orbera Balloon
These surgeries can almost always be performed by key hole surgery.
