Is there a surgical operation for treatment of obesity?

Yes. That's true. Although taken as the last resort, there are many surgeries available for treatment of morbid obesity. The criteria for operating are defined by the surgeon. Generally speaking, if the obesity is posing a risk to the person's life, a qualified surgeon may take the initiative to make such a surgery when other methods fail.

Leaving aside the technical details, the operation is a method by which ingested food bypasses the stomach so that the digestion is not complete. Thus, over a period of time, there is weight loss (sometimes upto half of the original weight!).

The surgical complications are:

• Infections (as in all surgeries)
• Gallstones
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Annoying abdominal pain
• Surgical suture disruption
• Gastrointestinal ulcers
• Other chronic complications needing further surgery for correction.