Highland Hospital Press Room
Study Shows Bypass More Effective Than Banding, Highland Director of Bariatric Surgery Explains
Rochester, N.Y., January 16, 2012 — A recent study published in the Archives of Surgery found Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is associated with more rapid and more sustained weight loss compared to gastric banding in obese patients. William O’Malley, M.D., the Director of the Bariatric Surgery Center at Highland Hospital says that is true, but for patients deciding what type of bariatric surgery to get, it is not that simple.
Dr. O’Malley has performed nearly 5,000 bariatric surgeries in his 15-year career. Gastric bypass is the No. 1 surgery of choice among his patients. In 2011, the bariatric program performed 522 gastric bypass procedures and 67 gastric band procedures.
“We know the weight-loss results of the band haverarely, in this country,equaled the results of gastric bypass,” says Dr. O’Malley, adding that the reoperation rate is higher with the band in his program. Within five years of gastric bypass, 2 percent of patients need a reoperation; within five years of gastric banding, about 10 percent of patients need a reoperation.
Dr. O’Malley says his patients understand that both laparoscopic procedures are safe and take less than an hour to perform. Patients are educated on the benefits of all types of bariatric surgeries well in advance of their operations, and they are free to choose the procedure based on their goals, capabilities and medical history.
“Gastric bypass is effective and the best option for losing weight and treating type 2 diabetes,” Dr. O’Malley says. “But gastric bypass is not for everyone. Some patients don’t want their anatomy changed."
For more information on the weight-loss surgery options at Highland, visit the Bariatric Surgery Center online .
Dr. O'Malley also comments on the study on 13WHAM News and YNN.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Barbara Ficarra
Director of Public Relations
(585) 341-6210
Or
Meghan Backus
Public Relations Specialist
(585) 341-0660
