Many people with obesity struggle on a daily basis with health issues and body-image issues. To shed excess weight and improve their quality of life, these people often come in for bariatric surgery. Different types of bariatric surgeries help to restrict food intake or calorie absorption to aid weight loss.

Unfortunately, there may be instances in which the first bariatric surgery may not work as well as hoped. Unwanted complications can occur. In cases where a patient is unhappy with the outcome of their bariatric surgery, revision bariatric surgery may be necessary.

Reasons for Revision Bariatric Surgery

A person who has had bariatric surgery in the past may need a revision surgery if the results from the first surgery are not as expected. There may be instances where someone who has had bariatric surgery continues to gain weight or doesn’t lose as much weight as was deemed possible with the help of the surgery.

A revision bariatric surgery may also be needed to correct a complication from the first surgery. The complications can arise due to stretching of the division of the stomach or the pouch that is created in many different types of bariatric surgery procedures.

The symptoms of medical complications of bariatric surgery can be ulcers, diarrhea, constipation, severe acidity (or diseases due to excessive stomach acid), or anemia.

Revision bariatric surgery can address a number of issues, including improvement of results and remedying of complications.

The Revision Procedure

Revision bariatric surgery may be performed as a repeat of your first procedure with slight variations. If you had a gastric bypass, revision surgery would be similar to it. Other options include revision of sleeve gastrectomy and lap-band surgery. If a lap-band has slipped or shifted position from the previous surgery, the revision procedure will adjust or replace it.

Revision procedures can be done using minimally invasive techniques even if the first surgery was done using traditional methods. A laparoscopic revision surgery is a likely option, as it is not a very invasive procedure.

A revision procedure may also be entirely different from the first surgery. It is sometimes more complicated than the first procedure. Your doctor may want to place a lap-band if the previous surgery didn’t involve one. The revision procedure could be a duodenal switch, which places limits on the small intestine in terms of calorie-intake capabilities while maintaining the restrictions of the first bypass surgery.

Endoscopic fixation involves retightening of the pouch placed during the first surgery. It can be done without incisions using tubes that are inserted inside the stomach to create folds inside the pouch.

The Consultation

If you feel that you may be in need of revision bariatric surgery, contact the office and schedule a consultation.

First, you will discuss your reasons for requiring revision surgery. The doctor will then conduct a physical examination to confirm the reasons for the complication. Based on the complication and your health, they will determine the course of the revision surgery and then discuss aftercare instructions with you.