Bariatric Surgery Program
Types of Bariatric Surgeries

All bariatric surgeries are performed at the new, state-of-the-art surgery suites at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands.

Currently, we offer two options – the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and the sleeve gastrectomy. Both are laparoscopic procedures which means they are minimally-invasive and use small incisions. Both are equally as effective, and the patient and their health care team will work together to determine which one is most appropriate.

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

This procedure has been around the longest and restricts the amount of food you can eat. A small pouch is formed from the top part of the stomach and attached directly to the lower intestine, bypassing what’s left of the stomach, liver and pancreas.

Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy

With the vertical sleeve gastrectomy, outside of the stomach is removed, leaving a portion about the size and shape of a banana. An added benefit of this procedure is patient will no longer produce the hormone that makes them feel hunger, typically resulting in greater weight loss. About 85-90% of bariatric surgeries performed on adolescents in the United States use this newer procedure.