Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery
in Denver, Colorado
Overview | Goals & Risks | Candidates | How It Works |
Procedure | Preoperative Testing | Complications of Surgery | Postoperative Care | Long-term Care | Expected Outcome | Case Studies | Questions and Answers | Forms
Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery: A Review
Bariatric surgery is increasingly recognized as an attractive and viable treatment option for those who are morbidly obese. Clinically morbid obesity is a true disease state. It is a disease with a strong genetic component (25 to 50%), often characterized by an overactive appetite center in the brain that results in excessive fat stores in the body. It is not a disorder of willpower, as sometimes implied.
Morbid obesity affects four million adults in the U.S. and is identified in a person who has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 kg/m2, or is 100 pounds overweight. Being severely overweight is dangerous to your health because it is associated with a variety of medical conditions as well as an increased mortality rate. Most morbidly obese people have struggled endlessly with failed attempts at weight loss and the frustration of limited alternatives.
Surgical treatment is the only proven method of achieving potential long-term weight control for the morbidly obese, greatly impacting health and longevity. While there are several bariatric or gastric bypass procedures, the laparoscopic approach to bariatric surgery is demonstrated to have clear advantages over other procedures, including:
- Shorter hospital stay
- Earlier return to normal activities
- Less pain and discomfort
Here at CBSI, our procedure of choice is the laparoscopic gastric Roux-en-Y which has been shown in clinical studies to have the most favorable impact on achieving maximum weight loss. A total of 600 cases have been performed by Dr. Brown, and of these, approximately 98% are performed laparoscopically.
