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Bariatric Revision Procedures

While the vast majority of bariatric surgeries are successful, with patients managing to maintain the weight loss stemming from their procedure in the long run, a small percentage of individuals need revision surgical treatment, either because they regained weight by failing to comply with their new diet or due to various complications which arose over the years. Regardless of the reason for which you need a revision procedure, the skillful team of bariatric surgeons at Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital can provide you with the most recent, non-invasive or minimally invasive treatments to help you get back on track.

As our medical professionals strive to constantly stay up-to-date with the latest technology, you can rest assured you will benefit from a low-risk bariatric revision procedure, as well as from a fast and safe recovery in a caring environment. Whether your previous lap band surgery or gastric bypass require adjustments or you suffered a complication following your first surgical treatment, the bariatric specialists at Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital will come up with the most effective solution to your problem and provide you with excellent medical services. Furthermore, to aid you maintain beneficial eating habits, we can offer you quality psychological counseling and individualized diet and exercise plans.

What Are Bariatric Revision Procedures?

Bariatric revision procedures have the purpose of solving a problem, which emerged following a weight loss surgery the patient had previously undergone, such as gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy.

There are multiple reasons why someone might need a revision procedure, including complications and failure to maintain a healthy weight following the initial surgery, whether because the patient did not follow their diet plan or because they did not comply with the exercise regimen their bariatric doctor recommended. A revision weight loss surgery might also be required if the patient experiences chronic nausea and vomiting, severe acid reflux, intolerance to solid foods, or other permanent distressing side effects.

Sometimes, these issues can be successfully attended to by trying to gradually instill a beneficial lifestyle into the patient. However, in the event the problem cannot be solved non-surgically – by re-attempting to adhere to a strict diet plan and to engage in more strenuous physical exercise – the bariatric specialist will order a series of tests to assess the extent of the weight gain the patient is struggling with and damage it might have caused to their body. These tests, which have the purpose of determining whether you are a good candidate for revision weight loss surgery, might include one or more of the following:

• upper gastrointestinal tract radiography, which entails ingesting a special dye while your digestive system is observed by the bariatric specialist on X-ray
• endoscopy, a test whose aim is to ascertain the size of your stomach
• eating test, by which the doctor will measure the amount of food you can consume before feeling full

The medical tests above will also help the bariatric specialist identify other potential problems concerning your digestive tract, such as esophageal abnormalities, gastrogastric fistulas, as well as Roux limb abnormalities. Revision bariatric surgery will either correct the original procedure or convert it to another one. For instance, a patient who has not benefited from gastric lap band surgery might be recommended a more radical procedure, such as a gastric bypass. The bariatric specialist who evaluated you is the only medical professional able to tell you with accuracy which option would imply optimal results for you.

At Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital, our bariatric surgeons offer several revision weight management procedures, such as:

• band over bypass, which is suitable for patients whose new stomach increased in volume over time following gastric bypass surgery and which entails adding a lap band over the pouch to prevent it from further stretching out
• ROSE, a non-surgical procedure during which medical instruments are inserted through the mouth to suture a stomach whose size increased over time after a bariatric surgery
• transoral outlet reduction, which is a minimally invasive bariatric revision procedure similar to the ROSE procedure, involving stitching the pouch which resulted after a gastric bypass by inserting an endoscope and various other medical instruments through the patient's mouth
• lengthening the Roux limb – the aim of this surgery is to convert a proximal gastric bypass to a distal one, which is a more extensive procedure
• sclerotherapy, a procedure, which entails injecting a sclerosant, namely sodium morrhuate, into the opening between the stomach and the small intestine (medically known as stoma) to reduce its size by creating tissue scarring
• duodenal switch – this revision bariatric surgery was designed for patients who underwent gastric bypass and failed to lose weight or relapsed and involves resecting 70% of your stomach and most of the duodenum

If you are having difficulty after your original bariatric surgery, we strongly encourage you to contact the bariatric specialists at Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital, who will thoroughly assess your health to ultimately guide you toward the most effective revision weight loss procedure. Regardless of how severe your health problems are, we will provide you with superior care and services in a professional and compassionate environment.