Obesity Surgery

Obesity Surgery includes a number of operations applied for treatment of overweight. These surgeries are basically applied to make some changes in digestive system, all of which are done laparoscopically (by closed methods).

The most important cause of obesity is excessive food consumption leading to excess weight gain. In the case of fat accumulation over a certain threshold, metabolism is completely shaken up and saturation point gradually increases.

We basically perform two operations within the scope of obesity surgery, one of which is the reduction of stomach volume. By reducing a stomach with a capacity of 1-1.5 liters normally to 100 ml capacity, patient can be saturated with very low amounts of food. This feeling of saturation is what makes obesity surgery superior to other methods. Whether they are called diet or healthy nutrition, all methods recommended to the patient are destined to fail due to feelings of hunger and unsaturation.

The other operation performed in our hospital is shortening the length of food-digesting intestines by creating a passage between stomach and small intestine in some surgery types. No intestine part is removed; the food coming from stomach is connected to a place between 1 to 1.5 meters of small intestine, thereby reducing absorption thereof.

Most frequently applied surgery in the first group is laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy surgery. It is better known as tube stomach. No apparatus or tube is attached to the stomach. A large part of the stomach – 85% – is excised and discarded. Since the remaining stomach resembles a thin tube, the process is called tube stomach.

Best known surgery in the other group, which is the absorption decreasing group, is gastric bypass. Stomach is reduced in this type of surgery. Small stomach pouch is placed in lower level of the small intestine. The aim of this process is to enable the elimination of a part of fat and calorie content unabsorbed.

This group of surgeries has the strongest effect on obesity-related metabolic diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure and high cholesterol. Unlike others, blood glucose is regulated, blood pressure decreases and lipid levels in blood drop to normal levels without waiting for weight loss. We frequently see that some of our patients with around 450 blood glucose and diabetic foot and kidney problems discontinue insulin and blood pressure drugs after the surgery.

Thanks to modern technological developments, all these surgeries can be performed through only 4-5 of maximum 1 cm incisions without opening the stomach. By this means, postoperative comfort of our patients increases immensely and they can return to normal life within maximum 5-7 days.