According to researchers, the number of people who underwent gastric bypass surgery and other bariatric surgeries more than quadrupled between 1998 and 2002. Between those years, the number of gastric bypass surgeries soared from 12,775 to 70,256. But that’s not all. Experts at the American Society for Bariatric Surgery believe that number has doubled since 2002. An estimated 140,000 patients had gastric bypass surgery in 2004 alone.

According to University of California, Irvine researchers, gastric bypass surgery is the only treatment effective in achieving sustained weight loss in those who are morbidly obese. During this surgical procedure, a small gastric pouch is made and the remaining stomach is bypassed by connecting the newly created pouch at a point in the small intestine.

According to the UC Irvine researchers, “The observed increase in bariatric surgery rates is related in part to an increase in the utilization of the laparoscopic technique by surgeons and greater acceptance by patients of the minimally invasive option.” Advancements in the gastric bypass technique appear to be the main reason for the rise in this procedure’s popularity, researchers conclude in the Archives of Surgery December issue.

To reach this conclusion, the California research team examined data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. They found that laparoscopic techniques increased from 2.1 percent to 17.9 percent of all gastric bypass surgeries between 1998 and 2002. The number of “roux-en-Y” procedures performed increased by 14 percent in that same time period. The number of medical facilities offered gastric bypass surgery increased from 131 in 1998 to 323 in 2002.

The study's authors also noted that the laparoscopic technique is not appropriate for every patient. Some gastric bypass patients do not qualify for this technique and some surgeons are not comfortable performing the laparoscopic gastric bypass procedure. If you or a loved one is interested in learning more about gastric bypass surgery to treat morbid obesity, it is important to find a doctor who is qualified and experienced in performing this surgery. Ask the surgeon about his/her level of experience with the laparoscopic technique and find out if you might be a good candidate for this procedure.