Bariatric Surgery

Obesity is a complex and chronic disease with many causes. It's not simply a result of overeating. Research has shown that genetics often plays a role, particularly if you're morbidly obese. To help patients lose weight and maintain that weight loss, the UCSF Bariatric Surgery Center uses surgical techniques to treat morbid obesity when other efforts have failed.

There are several criteria to determine morbid obesity. One is being 50 percent to 100 percent more than your ideal body weight. Another measure is being 100 pounds overweight or having a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more. BMI is a number based on both your height and weight that can help evaluate the degree to which you are overweight and assess your total body fat. Normal BMI is 20 to 25. Use our Body Mass Index Tool to check your BMI.

Obesity becomes "morbid" when it increases your risk for life-threatening conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and severe joint problems. In many cases, bariatric surgery is the most effective way to treat morbid obesity. Several bariatric procedures are available. The most common are "restrictive" procedures that reduce the stomach size and limit the calories you can consume.

Evaluation Process

To be considered for bariatric surgery, you must weigh less than 450 pounds because our hospital X-ray equipment can't accommodate patients who weigh more. A nutritionist is available to help you lose weight to meet this requirement, if necessary.

You also must complete a medical and psychological evaluation and undergo an initial consultation. To streamline and simplify this process, you can coordinate your medical evaluations with your primary care doctors. Currently, this process takes about six to eight months. If you qualify, you will meet with a surgeon to discuss the procedure and schedule a surgery date. At this meeting, your surgeon will answer any questions or concerns you may have.

The evaluation process consists of the following steps:

The UCSF Bariatric Surgery Center has performed surgical weight-loss procedures since 1996. Our team includes nurses, dietitians, gastroenterologists and surgeons. We offer comprehensive evaluations before surgery and follow-up care after surgery including support groups, dietitian services and continuing education. We consider bariatric surgery a tool to help you live a healthier, longer and full life. Your ultimate success, however, depends on your adherence to dietary, exercise and lifestyle changes after surgery.

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Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated February 14, 2008