Revisional Bariatric Surgery
ABOUT THE PROCEDURE
Primary bariatric (weight loss) surgery refers to a patient’s first bariatric operation. Second and subsequent bariatric operations are considered revision surgeries.
While for most patients a single procedure is sufficient and results of bariatric surgery are long lasting, some patients can develop issues with their original bariatric procedure that affect their quality of life. Often it can take many years for these issues to arise.
OPTIONS
Depending on your primary procedure, you may be able to have a revision sleeve gastrectomy, revision one anastomosis gastric bypass or revision roux-en-y gastric bypass.
RISK
In general, revision bariatric surgery carries higher surgical risk compared to the equivalent primary bariatric surgery. This is due to the presence of scar tissue called adhesions, altered tissue blood supply and decreased tissue integrity due to the prior surgery.
DECISION MAKING
The decision of whether to have a revision procedure and which type can be quite complex and depends on a number of factors such as the type of original operation, the nature of the symptoms, and the patient’s current health status. At Cairns Surgery we take all these factors into account and provide you with our expert advice when helping you to decide if a bariatric revision procedure is right for you.
Reasons for needing a revision procedure:
Gastro-oesophageal reflux
Bile reflux
Weight regain
Stricture
Non-healing ulcer
Malnutrition (rare)