Weight Loss Surgery Channel, 26th July 2009

Obese patients have got a powerful tool in their fight for loss-weight – a surgery. Batriatic surgeons highlight, though, the surgery alone does not guarantee success.

The key to the satisfaction is after-surgery support and change of diet and life-style. Dr. Emma Patterson, Medical Director at Oregon Weight Loss Surgery, created a revolutionary post-op program she presented at the 2009 annual meeting in Grapevine.

Dr. Patterson is a very experienced surgeon. She has performed over 1.300 batriatic procedures. She has also trained surgeons around the world, has published journal articles, abstracts and book chapters. Dr. Patterson admits, though, that weight-loss surgery is not the magic tool that cures all obesity-related problems.

Weight Loss Surgery Channel, 22nd July 2009

It was believed in the past that weight-loss procedures were not safe for the patients over 65 years of age. The new studies at Baylor University in Dallas show, however, that also older patients can benefit such procedures.

Belief that weight-loss surgeries are only suitable for young people, is wrong. The latest researches presented at the 26th annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Batriatic Surgery show that also patients over 65 years of age can benefit from cosmetic weight-loss with no additional risks.

Boston Channel.com, 13th July 2009

A new weight-loss technique that does not leave scars is being tested by doctors in New England at the moment. The procedure is called Transoral Gastroplasty (TOGA) and consists of entering the endoscope into a patient’s mouth down their esophagus. The operation can reduce the size of the stomach to about three inches long and one inch wide.

TOGA is still being tested but compared to the other procedures, it seems to be effective, less painful and reduce the recovery time.

Dr. John Kelly from the UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester says that most of the patients feel better after 24-48 hours.

New York Times , 29 June 2009

Latest researches show that weight-loss surgery brings cure to the obese patients suffering from type 2 diabetes. The results of the study carried by the American Diabetes Association examined 177 patients. Being very obese and having type 2 diabetes, they underwent gastric bypass surgery. As many as 57% of them got cured from the disease about eight years after the procedure.

Within a year after the procedure, as many as 90% of the patients were cured from the diabetes. Unfortunately, for many of them it didn’t last.
Dr. James Maher, surgeon from Virginia Commonwealth University, said that patients who were taking insulin before the weight-loss surgery were likely to experience the set-back of the disease. His suggestion is to undergo the procedure in early stage, before starting to take the medicine. Otherwise, the results might not last.

guardian.co.uk, 24th June 2009

The latest reports carried in Sweden show that the surgery that makes the stomach smaller, reduces the risk of cancer for overweight women. Unfortunately, it is still not clear if men would benefit from the same procedure.

As batriatic surgery usually consists of reducing the size of the stomach, people can only eat small amount of food at a time and less food is absorbed by the body. Weight-loss surgery brings good results to overweight and obese patients. In comparison with those who lost weight by diet and exercise alone, they tend to lose weight relatively quickly and keep their weight.