When diet, exercise, and drug therapies for obesity don’t provide patients with long-term success, many people with morbid obesity choose a surgical means to addressing this significant health problem.

The Duke Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery offers:

• Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
• Gastric banding
• Duodenal switch
• Sleeve gastrectomy

Surgery serves as an aid to weight management. Surgery is not a cure for obesity, but it can be an effective tool when used in conjunction to sound medical management.

In other words, weight loss surgery can give you the physiological ability to lose weight effectively. Lifestyle modifications, including diet and exercise, are necessary to the long-term success of your weight-loss surgery.

Candidates for surgical intervention include those patients with a BMI greater than 40. Also, people with a BMI greater than 35 who also have obesity-related health complications may be eligible.

Traditionally, surgery was restricted to patients who were older than 18 and less than 50 years old. Improved surgical care has enabled the procedure to be offered to patients even beyond 65 years old.

Only rarely is the procedure offered to anyone under 18 years of age, due to concern over whether they have the level of maturity necessary to succeed with the drastic life changes required after surgery.

Many insurance companies offer some form of coverage for weight-loss surgery. Medicare now provides coverage for their enrollees.

Back to: Understanding Obesity