You are here

Weight Loss Surgery Brisbane (Bariatric Surgery)

One of the most effective ways to lose weight over the long term is bariatric surgery. There are different types of weight loss surgery for different cases which will be discussed below. In simple terms, weight loss surgery is designed to reduce the size of the stomach, so you feel fuller for less food eaten.

Types of Weight Loss Surgery - Bariatric Surgery

Learn about procedures offered by Dr Ben Dodd in Brisbane, including:

Revisional Weight Loss Surgery
Sleeve Gastrectomy (Gastric Sleeve Surgery)
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
Single Anastomosis (mini) Gastric Bypass Lap Band Removal

Revisional Weight Loss Surgery

One type of bariatric surgery, revisional weight loss surgery is undertaken on patients who have previously had bariatric surgery for weight loss but there have been either complications or the desired amount of weight has not been lost.

Most commonly, revisional weight loss surgery is usually done for patients with severe reflux or weight regain following previous lap band or sleeve gastrectomy. This can usually be done very safely but there is a slightly increased risk of complications due to the scar tissue involved in redo weight lostt surgery.

Revisional weight loss surgery can almost always be performed with the same Enhanced Recovery approach as primary bariatric surgery. This means that the vast majority of redo cases can still go home after a 1 night stay in hospital.

Revisional gastric bypass (Roux-en-Y and Single Anastomosis) can be performed at the same time as lap band removal.

Revisional sleeve gastrectomy is generally done 6 to 12 weeks after removal of the lap band, due to scar tissue at the band site causing an increased risk of staple line leak.

Revisional weight loss surgery is sometimes associated with less weight loss than with primary surgery. Please discuss your specific circumstances with Brisbane weight loss surgeon Dr Ben Dodd to know what to expect after surgery.

Sleeve Gastrectomy (Gastric Sleeve Surgery)

This procedure involves removing a large part of your stomach. Post bariatric surgery, small amounts of food will make you feel full. Additionally, the hormone which makes you feel hungry (ghrelin) will be produced less following this procedure.

This type of weight loss surgery is for very obese patients who have tried all other alternatives to lose weight. After successful gastric sleeve weight loss surgery, patients may improve issues related to obesity such as cardiovascular health.

The Gastric Sleeve Surgery Procedure

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy involves 5 small incisions. The stomach is dissected from its attachments. A rubber tube (‘bougie’) is then passed down the swallowing pipe into the stomach.

The stomach is then stapled off against this bougie to ensure the sleeve is sized/calibrated correctly.

The stapled off stomach is then removed, permanently, through one of the keyhole wounds. Lots of local anaesthetic is placed in the wounds and the abdominal cavity. Most patients wake up with very little pain or nausea. Over 90% of patients are well enough to go home on day 1.

Up to 1 in 20 patients will have significant nausea the next day, and need to stay in hospital an extra night until this settles.

Indications for Gastric Sleeve Surgery

BMI > 40, or BMI > 35 with weight related comorbidities. Patients with pre-existing severe reflux or super high BMIs (needing massive weight loss) should not usually have a sleeve gastrectomy. Please discuss the relative merits of the available weight loss surgery procedures with Weight Loss Surgeon Dr Dodd.

Risks of Gastric Sleeve Surgery

Bleeding (1% of cases) from the sleeve staple line. This is very rare but can be severe enough to require a return to the operating theatre. Leak (1% of cases) from the sleeve staple line is a rare but potentially serious event.

This can require return to theatre, conversion to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, drains, ICU stay and a prolonged stay in hospital.

Leaks can happen weeks after surgery. Symptoms of leak include new onset severe pain, fever, chills and rigors (violent body shakes). If you have any of these symptoms after surgery, please contact Dr Ben Dodd urgently.

Late complications: These include sleeve torsion (twisting), stricture (narrowing), hiatus hernia and reflux. These can be severe enough to require revisional surgery.

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Weight Loss Surgery

This type of weigh loss surgery involves stapling part of the stomach to create a small pouch which is connected directly to the small intestine. Food then can pass by most of the stomach with less calories being absorbed. With gastric bypass surgery, weight is decreased over a 1 to 2 year period.

The Gastric Bypass Procedure

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass involves 6 small incisions. The stomach is stapled off to create a short gastric pouch, about the size of an egg. A rubber tube (‘bougie’) is passed down the swallowing pipe into the stomach.

The stomach is stapled off against this bougie to ensure the pouch is sized/calibrated correctly. The remaining stomach remains inside the abdomen long term.

The small bowel is then measured and brought up and sutured onto the gastric pouch as the food (‘alimentary’) limb. The second limb (containing digestive enzymes) is then sutured back onto the food limb lower down.

Local anaesthetic is placed in the wounds and the abdominal cavity. Most patients wake up with very little pain or nausea. Many patients are well enough to go home on day 1. Approximately 1 in 20 patients will have significant nausea the next day, and need to stay in hospital an extra night until this settles.

Indications for Gastric Bypass

BMI > 40, or BMI > 35 with weight related comorbidities. Please discuss the relative merits of the available weight loss surgery procedures with Dr Dodd.

Risks of Gastric Bypass

Bleeding, leak from the joins and bowel obstruction are the main risks of gastric bypass. This can require return to theatre, drains, ICU stay and prolonged hospital stay.

Leaks can happen several days after surgery. Symptoms of leak include new onset severe pain, fever, chills and rigors (violent body shakes).

If you have any of these symptoms after surgery, please contact Dr Ben Dodd urgently. Late complications: These include stricture (narrowing at the join), ulcer at the join, hiatus hernia, reflux, dumping, bowel obstruction and abdominal pain. These can be severe enough to require revisional surgery.

Laparoscopic Single Anastomosis (Mini) Gastric Bypass

The mini gastric bypass procedure was developed as an alternative to traditional gastric bypass with less potential complications and reduced procedure time. The surgery reduces the size of your stomach to reduce caloric absorption, to a lesser extent than a full bypass, however excellent weight loss results are achieved.

The Mini Gastric Bypass Weight Loss Procedure

Laparoscopic single anastomosis or ‘mini’ gastric bypass involves 6 small incisions. The stomach is stapled off to create a long thin gastric pouch.

A rubber tube (‘bougie’) is passed down the swallowing pipe into the stomach. The stomach is stapled off against this bougie to ensure the pouch is sized/calibrated correctly. The remaining stomach remains inside the abdomen long term.

The small bowel is then measured and brought up and sutured onto the gastric pouch as a single join (‘anastomosis’). Local anaesthetic is placed in the wounds and the abdominal cavity. Most patients wake up with very little pain or nausea. Many patients are well enough to go home on day 1.

Approximately 1 in 20 patients will have significant nausea the next day, and need to stay in hospital an extra night until this settles.

Indications for Mini Gastric Bypass

BMI > 40, or BMI > 35 with weight related comorbidities. Please discuss the relative merits of the available weight loss surgery procedures with Surgeon Dr Dodd.

Risks of Mini Gastric Bypass

Bleeding and leak from the join are the main risks. This can require return to theatre, drains, ICU stay and prolonged hospital stay. Leaks can happen several days after surgery. Symptoms of leak include new onset severe pain, fever, chills and rigors (violent body shakes).

If you have any of these symptoms after surgery, please contact Dr Ben Dodd urgently. The late complications of bowel obstruction, anastomotic ulceration, strictures and dumping are very rare after single anastomosis bypass.

Lap Band Removal Bariatric Surgery

Laparoscopic removal of gastric bands is usually a straightforward procedure, often performed as a day case. This is a keyhole procedure, but a bigger incision (4-5cm) is required to remove the lap band port from the abdominal wall. Local anaesthetic is placed in the wounds and the abdominal cavity, so post-operative pain is usually minimal.

Bariatric Surgeon Dr Ben Dodd also performs revisional weight loss surgery. This can often be performed at the same time as the lap band removal (for gastric bypass). This is often done if severe reflux or ongoing weight problems exist. Revisional sleeve gastrectomy is usually done as a staged procedure, with the sleeve being done 6 to 12 weeks after removal of the band.

Indications For Lap Band Removal

Lap band removal is usually performed on a planned elective basis for patients who are having trouble eating due to the band. Some patients have severe reflux due to failure of the oesophagus/food pipe due to the long-term obstruction created by the band. Some patients present with severe abdominal pain and a ‘slip’ of the stomach up through the band, necessitating urgent removal of the band.

Risks of Lap Band Removal

Removal of lap bands is usually a straightforward procedure. If the band is eroded through the stomach wall, or there is a lot of scar tissue around the band, there is a small risk of perforating the stomach during removal. This is repaired at the time, leaving a very small risk of any gut fluid leakage.