What are the Most Common Weight Loss Surgery Procedures?

A Current Look at Trends in Bariatric Surgery Options

In recent years, bariatric surgery has become a popular recommendation by weight loss experts for treatment of obesity. The surgeries are safe and effective. They also vastly improve health and quality of life for people who have been unable to lose weight through diet and exercise alone. They’re able to sustain long term weight loss and many weight-related health issues usually improve or resolve. Some bariatric surgery procedures seem to improve certain comorbidities, too. For example, recent studies showed that gastric sleeve surgery improved good cholesterol. How do its numbers currently compare to those of gastric bypass and lap band? Here we present the most common weight loss surgery procedures today performed by bariatric surgeons like Dr. Christine Ren-Fielding.

Most Common Weight Loss Surgery Procedures

Currently, the four most common weight loss surgery procedures are Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, lap band surgery, gastric sleeve (sleeve gastrectomy) and biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (BPD/DS).

Statistics on Most Common Weight Loss Surgery Options

In 2011, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass was the most common weight loss surgery followed by lap band surgery. Less than 20% of patients chose gastric sleeve and less than 1% chose BPD/DS.

By 2015, lap band surgery dropped from 35.4% of total surgeries to 5.7%. Gastric sleeve surgery became a significantly more popular choice, rising from 17.8% of total surgeries to 53.8%.

The total number of surgeries increased by almost 40,000, too. We estimate that gastric bypass numbers dipped from about 58,000 surgeries to 45,000 surgeries total. Lap band dropped from 55,000 surgeries in 2011 to only 11,000 in 2015. Sleeve gastrectomy leapt from 28,000 surgeries to over 100,000 making it the most popular choice among the current options.

There are likely many factors contributing to this shift. For example, studies have shown that sleeve gastrectomy is more effective in resolving comorbidities like type 2 diabetes. Lap band surgery remains one of the least invasive, lowest risk options and has the benefit of being reversible. It’s unclear why this surgery has become less common, though it may be due to the requirement for post-surgery band adjustments. In addition, differences in insurance coverage may contribute to a patient’s choice of surgery.

Dr. Christine Ren-Fielding, NYU Langone Weight Management ProgramWeight Loss Surgery Consultations with Dr. Christine Ren-Fielding

Are you a candidate for weight loss surgery? Are you interested in gastric sleeve or another bariatric surgery procedure? Please contact Dr. Christine Ren-Fielding at the NYU Langone Weight Management Program.

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