At White Plains Hospital, the vast majority of our bariatric surgery procedures are done laparoscopically, through just a few small incisions. This minimally invasive approach has many important advantages for patients, including less pain, fewer complications, faster healing and a quicker return to normal activities.
We perform two different types of weight loss surgery. Each type has particular advantages for certain types of patients, depending on your priorities and lifestyle. We’ll work closely with you to assess your needs and help identify the bariatric surgical procedure that is most likely to help you achieve your goal of lasting weight loss and a return to good health.
Laparoscopic roux-en-y gastric bypass
Considered the gold standard of weight loss surgery, the roux-en-y gastric bypass is the most popular and the most effective bariatric procedure currently available here in the U.S. That’s in part because this technique helps patients lose weight in two ways:
- It reduces the size of your stomach. This limits the amount of food you can eat at one time
- It literally bypasses a portion of the intestine so that your body will absorb fewer calories from the food you eat
Laparoscopic roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery is a good option for patients who have difficulty with portion control. The procedure requires a hospital stay of a couple of days and a recovery period of a few weeks.
Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy
The newest technique in weight loss surgery, the sleeve gastrectomy involves reshaping the stomach to create a long, thin tube (like a "sleeve") that holds only about 10% of the amount of food it previously could contain, while also diminishing appetite. The rest of the digestive tract is otherwise left undisturbed. The procedure takes just a couple of hours to perform, so it may be a good choice if you have other health conditions, such as heart or lung disease or acid reflux. It is also helpful for people who have trouble with portion control.