Surgical Procedures

The Medical University of South Carolina's weight loss surgery program performs three weight loss operations for the treatment of obesity.  We also perform revisions of previous procedures for complications or in some cases failure to lose weight or weight regain. The program currently offers the roux en y Gastric Bypass, the Sleeve Gastrectomy and the Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band.  Below is an brief overview of each of these procedures. If you have questions we encourage you to contact us directly.

Roux en Y Gastric Bypass

The roux en y gastric bypass is a combined RESTRICTIVE and MALABSORBTIVE operation. It is designed to restrict portion size by the creation of a small pouch out of the upper part of the stomach. A limb of the small intestine is then brought up to the pouch and connected to it. The small intestine is connected to itself lower down. This forms a Y. Food will bypass the lower stomach, the duodenum (the first segment of the small intestine), and the first portion of the jejunum (the second segment of the small intestine). This reduces the amount of calories and nutrients the body absorbs thus increasing weight loss. This operation is particularly effective for curing and improving type 2 diabetes.

 Detailed information on gastric bypass surgery 
 More on the Roux-en-Y bypass procedure
 Risks of this procedure
 Brief history and summary of bariatric surgery (ASMBS)

Sleeve Gastrectomy

This operation is a RESTRICTIVE procedure. The surgeon creates a long narrow tube out of the stomach. The rest of the stomach is removed. There is no bypass of the intestine. The operation is designed to restrict portion size and slow down the passage of food through the stomach.

Detailed information on the sleeve gastrectomy

Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding Procedure

At MUSC we perform the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAB) using the Realize™ band.  This is purely a RESTRICTIVE procedure.

In this procedure, a hollow band made of silicone is placed around the stomach near its upper end, creating a small pouch and a narrow passage into the rest of the stomach. The band is connected to a port that is placed on the abdominal wall under the skin. This port is accessed by a needle in the clinic and fluid is injected to tighten the band. Fluid can be withdrawn if the band is too tight.

 Detailed information on the Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding procedure
 Risks of this procedure

Revisions of Previous Procedures

Occasionally revisions of previous weight loss operations are necessary. Usually these are done for complications of older procedures such as vertical banded gastroplasty, banded gastric bypass or other gastric partition operations. Patients may present with persistent vomiting or excessive weight loss and may need a revision. Patients may present with weight regain due to staple line breakdown and need a revision. Recently we have seen patients who have had complications or inadequate weight loss with adjustable band present for revision or conversion to another procedure. For further details contact us directly.