The Surgery

The SurgerySurgical operations for the control of clinically severe obesity are based on one or both of two principles. The first is restriction, whereby the amount of calories or food ingested is controlled by limiting space available. The second principle is malabsorption, whereby the absorption of food is controlled or reduced.

Since the advent of bariatric surgery in 1959, operations have been improved and modified again and again, undergoing many changes while overcoming a questionable early history. Early failures were associated with techniques which have since been abandoned, such as the jejunal-ileal bypass, simple gastric stapling, and the horizontal gastroplasty procedure. Surgeons have continued to modify and improve surgical procedures in view of the ineffectiveness of most non-surgical methods. Further enhancements are in process as new technologies and surgical methods become available.

MU Health Care's nationally recognized bariatric surgeons perform two options for weight-loss surgery:

  • Roux-en-Y Divided Gastric Bypass (RYDGB) a minimally invasive procedure. With this 60 to 90-minute procedure, surgeons make smaller incisions so there is less pain, faster recovery time and fewer complications. The surgeons section off a portion of the stomach and reroute part of the small intestine. Patients can generally go home after only two or three days in the hospital.
  • Lap Band™ is another surgical option provided by surgeons at Missouri Bariatric Services. Some of our surgeons helped pioneer the approval of this procedure.

As with any surgery, these procedures carry risks and possible side effects, but the amount of weight loss can be significant and dramatic.

Anatomy and Function of the Gastrointestinal Tract
The Evolution of Bariatric Surgery
How the Roux-en-Y Divided Gastric Bypass is Performed
How the Divided Gastric Bypass Works
Post-Operative Steps
Possible Complications
Lifelong Commitment
 University of Missouri - Columbia University of Missouri System