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.

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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.

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