Bariatric Surgery: Outcomes and Follow-Up

Nowadays, obesity is a very important public health problem due to its related comorbidities. Major treatment modalities include lifestyle modification, diet, and medical and surgical treatments. Bariatric surgery is the most successful treatment modality in obesity treatment. Owing to its ability to achieve weight loss and improve comorbidities accompanying obesity, it is now focused on metabolic control rather than weight loss. When choosing an operation method, the purpose of the surgery (weight loss and/or metabolic control) should be decided by taking into account the experience of the surgeon and the center, patient preference, and individual risk assessment results. In the past two decades, complication rates have gradually decreased because of the development of minimally invasive methods, increased experience, and adoption of a multidisciplinary approach in bariatric surgery. However, there are still complications requiring reoperation and hospitalization. Patients should be informed about the operation and postoperative diet and follow-up, realistic weight loss goals should be targeted, and operation and postoperative patient follow-up should be performed in experienced centers.