A Comprehensive Program.

The USC Bariatric Surgery Program is designed for individuals who are either 100 pounds overweight or 75 pounds overweight with a serious medical condition such as uncontrollable hypertension or diabetes. Another indicator for surgery is a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40.

Led by faculty physicians at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the Bariatrics Program at Keck Hospital of USC has received a Center of Excellence designation from the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and Surgical Review Corporation (SRC). This designation makes bariatric surgery at Keck Hospital of USC Medicare-eligible.

Program services include:

• Active support group
• Peer insight and encouragement
• Intense physical evaluation
• Nutritional counseling
• Postoperative visits and calls

Postoperative Programs:

• Laboratory testing and monitoring
• Nutrition and exercise guidance
• Behavior modification exercises
• Psychological evaluation
• Surgery education

The USC Bariatric Surgery Program offers three different surgical options:

Distal Gastric Bypass with the Duodenal Switch
This operation entails removal of approximately 75 percent of the stomach to initially decrease the amount of food one can consume. The food that is ingested is then re-routed to the last (distal) half of the small intestine, "bypassing" the final half of the intestine so that food absorption is decreased. Bile is also diverted away from the food that is ingested so that fats are properly absorbed.

Laparoscopic (Minimally Invasive) Roux-en-Y
In this innovative minimally invasive technique, the surgeon makes five small incisions through which a camera and long tools are threaded. Then a 150 cm segment of the small intestine is sutured to a tiny gastric pouch. The small intestine absorbs nutrients from food, but with less intestine, the body takes in fewer calories. Much of the stomach is then resected, leaving it a small pouch about the size of a plum. The pouch is sealed with tiny sutures before reconnecting it with the intestine, restricting food intake.

This surgery is designed for patients who have a BMI between 40 and 50 and is performed by USC surgeons with experience in laparoscopic techniques.

LAP-BAND Adjustable Gastric Banding System
This minimally invasive surgery is designed to induce weight loss by restricting food consumption. It involves applying a prosthesis (the LAP-BAND) around the stomach – creating a small gastric pouch – and a calibrated opening to the rest of the stomach. By creating a smaller gastric pouch, the LAP-BAND System limits the amount of food that the stomach will hold at any time. The inflatable ring controls the flow of food from this smaller pouch to the rest of the digestive tract. The patient will feel comfortably full with a small amount of food. And because of the slow emptying, the patient will continue to feel full for several hours – reducing the urge to eat between meals.

This surgery is designed for patients who have a BMI between 40 and 50 and is performed by USC surgeons with experience in LAP-BAND techniques.