Bariatric Surgery Revision for Failure to Lose Weight
Bariatric surgery helps obese individuals lose a significant amount of weight so that they can improve their health and overall well being. The majority of patients who undergo bariatric surgery experience rapid weight loss in the months following surgery. On average, gastric bypass patients end up losing about 70 percent of their excess weight.
Unfortunately, in rare cases, a patient fails to see the weight loss results they expect after surgery. Bariatric surgery revision alters the size of the stomach and makes necessary adjustments to provide patients with the weight loss results they desire.
Bariatric surgery revision for failure to lose weight is available at our Tijuana, Mexico clinic. We are happy to evaluate each patient’s case to recommend the best surgical technique for a secondary bariatric procedure.
Bariatric Surgery Revision Candidates
When a patient fails to lose a significant amount of weight following bariatric surgery, it is important to determine why the expected results have not been achieved. In some cases, it may be due to the decisions and actions of the patient.
For optimal weight loss results, it is vital that the patient alters his or her diet and follows recommended exercise guidelines. If the patient has followed all post-surgical instructions and is still not losing weight, or lost weight initially, but has begun to regain weight, the patient may be an ideal candidate for bariatric surgery revision.
Bariatric surgery revision may be necessary in the following situations:
- A LAP-BAND® device has slipped or eroded
- The stomach has stretched out
- The patient is better-suited to a different bariatric surgery technique
Revision Options
Our doctors understand how frustrating it can be to undergo gastric surgery only to fail to see a significant change in the body. We will discuss all bariatric surgery revision options with our patients and help each one choose a technique that is most likely to address their unique concerns and allow them to lose the weight they desire.
In general, bariatric surgery revision will involve either correcting issues with a previous surgery, or performing an alternate bariatric technique.
- Surgical adjustments: In some cases, patients can benefit from an adjustment to their previous bariatric surgery. For instance, LAP-BAND® patients may need their sleeve to be tightened or repositioned so that the stomach is adequately restricted. Patients who have undergone gastric sleeve surgery or gastric bypass surgery may need to have a portion of the stomach removed, as it is possible for the stomach to stretch or expand over time. By making these adjustments, we can help patients drop a significant amount of weight.
- Alternate bariatric technique: In many cases of bariatric surgery revision, we recommend an alternate bariatric technique for the secondary procedure. A patient who has undergone LAP-BAND® surgery is likely to get greater weight loss results if we perform gastric sleeve surgery to resize the stomach. Similarly, if a gastric sleeve patient has failed to lose weight, the patient may benefit from gastric bypass, which reroutes the digestive tract to reduce the number of calories that the body absorbs. Our doctors are happy to recommend the surgical technique that they feel will be most beneficial to each patient.
Contact Us
If you have undergone bariatric surgery and have not experienced the weight loss you expected, you may be an ideal candidate for bariatric surgery revision. To learn more about your options regarding bariatric surgery revision, contact us at your earliest convenience.