Types of Weight Loss Surgery

The Baylor Weight Loss Management and Surgery Program offers three types of minimally invasive surgical weight loss procedures:

• Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB)
• Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band surgery (Lap-Band^®)
• Laparoscopic Revisional surgery

During RYBG and Lap-Band^® procedures, the stomach size is reduced to limit the amount of food it holds. As a result, you eat less food and lose weight.

During RYGB procedures, 2/3 of the stomach is bypassed by creating a small pouch with the remaining portion of the stomach. The small intestine is then attached to the pouch. The shortened intestine absorbs less food than before. As a result, you absorb less of the food you eat.

In Lap-Band^® procedures, the stomach is wrapped with an adjustable silicone band connected to an access port next to the abdominal wall, allowing your physician to increase or decrease the band's tension by injecting or withdrawing saline.

Either procedure can be reversed through revisional surgery if results of a prior gastric surgery are unsatisfactory or if other issues indicate a reversal. Most revisional surgeries performed at Baylor are laparoscopic.