Obesity Surgery

What is Obesity Surgery?

It is called "obesity surgery" or "bariatric surgery" to perform surgical intervention on the digestive system in order to help patients who are determined to be obese by measuring their body mass index or body fat ratio to help them lose weight.

Who are the most suitable candidates?

First of all, the person should have a complaint of obesity for at least three years, should not have chronic alcohol and drug addiction, and should be within the limits of acceptable surgery risk. A patient who will undergo bariatric surgery should not have an active psychiatric disease. Although there is no age restriction, surgery can be performed more safely between the ages of 20-60. Surgery should be considered as a last resort for weight loss. Obesity surgery should be performed when the health status of people who cannot lose weight despite hormonal disorders, cannot achieve success in other treatment methods or gain weight again, begin to deteriorate.

How is obesity surgery effective?

Surgical methods in the treatment of obesity can be classified as methods that reduce food intake, restrict the absorption of nutrients, or provide both. In restrictive surgeries, the volume of the stomach is reduced; The amount of food entering the stomach and the amount of food eaten by the person are reduced. In surgeries that reduce absorption, part of the intestines is bypassed to reduce nutrient absorption. Depending on the type of surgery performed, the daily amount of food taken by the patient and the absorption rate of the food taken in the intestines decrease. Thus, the patient loses weight quickly. However, in order for bariatric surgery to have a definite and lasting effect on weight loss, the person must be aware of the fact that he has undergone an important operation, and continue to eat and exercise after the operation.

Which surgery is performed most often?

Today, the two most common operations in bariatric surgery are gastric bypass (stomach bypass) and sleeve gastrectomy (tube stomach) surgeries. These surgeries can be performed laparoscopically through small holes. With this method, less painful and safe surgery can be performed with smaller incisions. In gastric bypass surgery, the volume of the stomach is reduced first, thereby reducing the amount of food that the patient can take. In addition, some of the small intestines are bypassed. Since the path traveled by the food in the small intestine is shortened, the absorption of nutrients decreases. This surgical technique should be preferred more in patients with a high-calorie diet and eating habits. Because this type of patients have the habit of eating small amounts of high-calorie foods.

What is done in gastric sleeve surgery?

It may not be possible to achieve sufficient weight loss with operations that only reduce food intake. In Sleeve Gastrectomy (Tube Stomach) surgery, a stomach tube is created by cutting and removing the large side of the stomach. With this technique, both the amount of food taken because the volume of the stomach decreases, and the level of the 'Ghrelin' hormone, which is secreted from the stomach section and defined as the hunger hormone, decreases, and a feeling of satiety occurs. Thus, patients can lose weight quickly by maintaining the integrity of their normal digestive system.

Gastric Bypass surgery

Gastric By-Pass (R-YGB) surgery is the most common type of combined surgery. Gastric Bypass is one of the methods that draws attention with its successful results in bariatric surgery. With this surgery, while the stomach volume is reduced, the absorption of nutrients decreases because the path traveled in the small intestine is shortened. The part at the beginning of the stomach is separated from the rest, leaving about 30-50 cc. A part of the small intestines is also bypassed and connected to the newly formed small stomach. In this way, patients reach the feeling of fullness quickly with much smaller portions. At the same time, the absorption of a significant part of the high-calorie foods taken is prevented. Effective and permanent weight loss is achieved with Gastric By-Pass (R-YGB) surgery. Similar to volume-restricting surgeries, patients achieve a feeling of fullness quickly with much smaller portions due to the reduced new stomach pouches. Gastric By-Pass surgery can be recycled when necessary.

How long does it take to lose weight after bariatric surgery?

The expected weight loss at the end of two years in laparoscopic gastric bypass surgeries is about 70 percent, in sleeve gastrectomy it is around 60 percent, and the patient's compliance after the surgery is very important in the total weight lost. Success in losing weight is directly proportional to the patient's compliance with the diet and exercise program after the surgery.

When is it possible to return to work after surgery?

We generally recommend our patients to rest at home for 15 days after bariatric surgery. If the patient works at a desk, he can return to work after 15 days. It is recommended to wait about 30 days for jobs that require intense physical activity and to start sports.

Is there a risk of regaining weight?

Weight loss continues for approximately 1.5-2 years after bariatric surgery. In some cases, patients can lose their excess weight in as little as one year before this process is completed. The most important factors for healthy weight loss and maintaining ideal weight after surgery are balanced diet and exercise. However, the real success in the long run also depends on how well you follow all the rules suggested to you. It is important to change old eating habits, to adopt a healthy and balanced diet, to exercise regularly, not to interrupt post-operative checkups, not to lose motivation, and to get psychological support if necessary in order not to regain the lost weight.