At Nambour Selangor Private Hospital, we offer bariatric weight loss surgery. Your specialist will be able to talk through the options in more detail with suggestions of which may be most appropriate for individual circumstances.

The gastric band consists of a ring of silicone which is placed around the very top of the stomach. It has an inner balloon which compresses this area to control the appetite. The balloon is connected to a port lying deep to the skin. By injection or removal of saline into the port the appetite can be increased or decreased. It is generally regarded as a safe procedure which leads to good long-term weight loss. It is fully reversible.

The Sleeve Gastrectomy procedure involves removing approximately three quarters of the stomach leaving behind a narrow tube of stomach. This restricts the amount of food eaten before the sleeve distends, creating a feeling of fullness. This is currently the most frequently used bariatric procedure in Australia and offers good early weight loss. The procedure is not reversible or adjustable.

In a Gastric Bypass procedure, a small stomach pouch is created to restrict food intake. Next, a Y-shaped section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch to allow food to bypass the lower stomach, the duodenum (the first segment of the small intestine), and the first portion of the jejunum (the second segment of the small intestine). This bypass reduces the absorption of nutrients and thereby reduces the calorie intake. It is not reversible or adjustable.

For people who underwent obesity surgery in the 1980s and 1990s and who have not managed to achieve or maintain their weight-loss goals. It is also performed in patients who experienced previous complications from weight-loss surgery. Revision surgery converts one procedure to another procedure which may be more suitable for the patient. In 95 per cent of cases this can be done laparoscopically (keyhole surgery). “Re-do” surgery is typically more complex and involves more complications. For this reason, cautious assessment and consultation is required for all patients considering this option.