Endoscopic techniques in bariatric patients: Obesity basics and normal postbariatric surgery anatomy

With the sharp rise in the number of bariatric surgical procedures over the past 15 y, the number and array of complications have also risen. Many of these complications are now either diagnosed or managed endoscopically. However, the rising diversity of surgical options requires endoscopists to have a good working knowledge of normal postoperative anatomy for each procedure. This article reviews basic obesity epidemiology and describes postsurgical anatomy of the upper gastrointestinal tract, separating the procedures into those with normal small bowel anatomy (restrictive procedures) and procedures resulting in small bowel modifications (procedures with a “malabsorptive” component).