Surgical weight loss options

Gastric bypass and mini gastric bypass

The upper part of the stomach is stapled into a small gastric pouch that is then attached to the small intestine. The smaller stomach means less food is consumed and is sent more directly to the lower intestine. This option is expected to achieve a weight loss of approximately 30% of your body weight. 

Sleeve gastrectomy / gastric sleeve

This procedure is simpler than a bypass. Food follows the usual route, but the stomach is reduced in size by about 80 per cent. The stomach is stapled into a narrow tube or “sleeve” shape, with the unwanted part removed. This option is expected to achieve a weight loss of approximately 25% of your body weight. 

Gastric band

An adjustable inflatable plastic silicone ring is fitted around the top part of the stomach, restricting its size when inflated. This option is expected to achieve a weight loss of approximately 20% of your body weight. 

The effect of each of these is to make you feel full quicker and be less hungry. Our surgeons have extensive experience of all three options. These procedures are extremely safe and carried out with keyhole surgery, which requires only small incisions, and so results in a quick recovery. 

Alternative options

Other options may be more suitable for you, for example, if you have a lower BMI (body mass index) or you are concerned about surgery. 

A gastric balloon does not require you to be sedated and there are no incisions. It is available for patients with a BMI of 27-plus. A balloon is placed through the mouth and once in the stomach is filled with water to make you feel full. It is a short-term measure, with the balloon removed after six months. The expected weight loss is 10 to 20 kilos (22 to 44 lbs). 

Our drug therapy clinic can support you with an appropriate course of medication and advise of its benefits when used simultaneously with an exercise schedule and reduced-calorie diet.

Revisional Bariatric Surgery 

If you have had a weight loss or bariatric surgery and have had a complication or failed to lose weight, often this is because the primary procedure may not have been the best choice for you or there is an issue with that surgery. At the Imperial Weight Centre at Imperial College Healthcare Private Care, the surgeons and the teams involved are able to diagnose exactly what those issues may be and give you other surgical or interventional options. 

Many patients for example have severe acid reflux after sleeve gastrectomy and our surgical team are experts in managing patients such as these.  Mr Ahmed and Professor Purkayastha in particular have a special interest in acid reflux that is problematic for patients who have a sleeve gastrectomy and are experts in the LINX procedure, which could potentially transform many patients lives if they have problematic acid reflux after this sort of primary surgery. 

If you had a gastric band and it is not suiting you anymore or your restriction has gone, this can be removed and converted to other surgeries, and if you have problems with your bowel habits or bile reflux after mini gastric bypass this can also be rectified with corrective surgery by our specialist surgeons. 

These revisional procedures will also have full wraparound multidisciplinary team care which is essential for good long-term outcomes for any life changing transformation such as bariatric surgery.