Surgical and endoscopic weight loss options
State-of-the-art surgical care from Penn Medicine bariatric experts
Our bariatric surgery and weight management program provides the most advanced and effective weight loss procedures to nearly 1,000 people each year across our locations in the Greater Philadelphia, Lancaster, and Princeton regions. This level of experience helps more people achieve their weight loss goals.
Our fellowship-trained surgeons are leaders in the field of bariatric and gastrointestinal surgery. Their expertise in minimally invasive surgical techniques results in fewer complications and a faster recovery for our patients, getting you back to your normal activities sooner. We’re also experienced in complex surgical cases, including repair or revision of previous unsuccessful procedures.
As physician-researchers, our surgeons are also active in ongoing obesity research and clinical trials that keep Penn Medicine at the forefront of the field. As faculty at an academic medical center, they train the next generation of leading bariatric surgery experts.
Penn Medicine is an accredited bariatric center, certified by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP). The MBSAQIP is administered by the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Accredited bariatric centers adhere to the highest safety and quality standards, and patients experience 48 percent fewer surgical complications.
Surgical and endoscopic weight loss procedures
Our team of surgeons and weight loss experts offers a full range of minimally invasive surgical and endoscopic procedures for people who meet the bariatric surgery eligibility requirements. You and your team work together to decide which procedure is best for you
Our surgical and endoscopic weight loss options include:
A gastric bypass creates a small pouch from the upper portion of your stomach, restricting your food intake. Food bypasses the rest of your stomach and the top of your small intestine. The surgery also reduces your body’s hunger hormones.
After gastric bypass, your stomach can hold only five percent of the food it accommodated before surgery. Weight loss occurs because the new pouch requires you to eat very small portions of food.
During gastric sleeve surgery, our surgeons remove most of your stomach, leaving a smaller sleeve-shaped tube. The remaining portion of your stomach can hold around three to four ounces of food. This limits the amount of food you can eat and reduces your body’s hunger hormones. As a result, you feel less hungry and eat less.
Revisional bariatric surgery corrects or changes a previous procedure. You may need revision surgery if you experience complications from your original procedure or you don’t achieve your weight loss goals.
Our surgeons have particular expertise in bariatric revision surgery. They will recommend an approach that will give you an optimal result, based on your personal needs.
Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is an incision-free procedure. A doctor guides a special device (an endoscope) through your mouth and into your stomach. Then they use the device to reduce the size of your stomach, helping you feel full more quickly.
We may recommend endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty in limited cases for people with obesity who are not candidates for bariatric surgery.
Also known as intragastric balloon implantation, a gastric balloon procedure requires no surgical incision. A doctor guides a silicone balloon through your mouth and esophagus into your stomach. The balloon takes up space in your stomach, helping you feel full, so you eat less.
We may recommend endoscopic gastric balloon in limited cases for people with obesity who are not candidates for bariatric surgery.
Our minimally invasive approach to weight loss surgery
The bariatric surgeons at Penn Medicine specialize in minimally invasive surgical techniques, including laparoscopic and robotic bariatric surgery.
Laparoscopic surgery uses very small incisions and instruments, allowing you to recover faster. Robotic surgery provides our surgeons with increased precision and control, especially during complex procedures.
Other benefits of minimally invasive bariatric surgery include:
- Less post-operative pain
- Lower risk of infection, gastrointestinal leaks, and hernia
- Reduced blood loss
- Quicker recovery and shorter hospital stays
- Smaller scars
Post-surgery follow up care at Penn Medicine
When you have bariatric surgery at Penn Medicine, we support you and your commitment to maintaining a healthy weight for life. Follow-up care is important for your health and ongoing weight loss success.
After your procedure, your dietitian provides a recovery diet plan. You will have follow-up visits with our team where we monitor your recovery and weight loss.
Our doctors
Our providers work with you to plan and deliver exceptional treatment and personalized care.
Locations
Our hospitals, multispecialty medical centers, pharmacies, labs and more offer outstanding, personalized care for patients all across the region.
Related articles
Tirzepatide may only temporarily quiet ‘food noise’
Brain recordings of a patient with obesity shows that tirzepatide (Mounjaro) only temporarily suppresses signaling related to food noise.
Starting anti-obesity medication early boosts weight loss
Introducing medication sooner than current guidelines call for can help patients who struggle to lose weight with diet and physical activity alone.