Table 8.

Comparison of the three major bariatric surgery procedures for the treatment of severe obesity

Gastric bypass	Gastric band (adjustable)	Sleeve gastrectomy
Very long technical experience	Three decades of experience	One decade of experience
Stomach and small intestine bypassed and stomach reduced to a very small pouch size	Band placed around upper part of the stomach (adjustable externally)	Stomach restricted vertically (80% removed)
Food intake volume considerably reduced; absorption of nutrients reduced	Restricts food volume (variable as it is voluntarily adjusted)	Restricts food volume
Massive weight loss expected (14–20 units of BMI)	Significant weight loss expected (8–12 units of BMI)	Very significant weight loss expected (10–18 units of BMI)
Partly reversible procedure	Fully reversible procedure	Irreversible procedure