Obesity is a major health problem worldwide and has enormous financial implications associated.
There are a significant number of "metabolic" diseases and conditions,
associated with obesity,
like hypertension,
diabetes,
dyslipidemia,
coronary artery disease,
osteoarthritis,
obstructive sleep apnea,
among others,
and with social problems,
accompanied by increased mobility and mortality,
which is proportional to the degree of excess weight.
Nonsurgical management of obesity includes drug therapy,
dietary changes,
and exercise,
which can facilitate weight loss.
However,
this is often not enough in patients with severe obesity,
which supports the importance of surgical treatment.
Body mass index (BMI) measures obesity,
based on a combination of weight and height (BMI= weight (Kg)/ height (m2)). A BMI of 30-34,9 Kg/m2 determine obesity,
a BMI between 35-39,9 Kg/m2 define severe obesity and a BMI higher than 40-49,9 Kg/m2 define morbid obesity.
NIH guidelines indicate bariatric procedures for morbidly obese adults or severely obese adults with a related medical condition,
who have failed behavioral and medical treatment.
Despite the inherent risks,
the bariatric surgery,
now called metabolic surgery is increasing in popularity,
because it can cause recovery and remission of many obesity-related comorbidities,
as well as providing a long-term weight loss and improvement in the quality of life.
There are two options for surgical management of these patients: restrictive procedures and bypass procedures.
Restrictive procedures involve the reduction of gastric volume to induce early satiety,
with the most common being adjustable gastric banding and sleeve gastrectomy.
These techniques are generally less complex,
because they are easier to perform and have less potential serious complications.
In bypass procedures,
portions of the gastrointestinal tract are bypassed to cause malabsorption,
like Roux-en-Y gastric bypass,
the most commonly performed nowadays.