Surgical Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes

Clinical Services: GI Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Nutrition

Upper East Side
520 East 70th Street, Starr Pavilion, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10021

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(646) 962-8462

Type 2 diabetes is a condition that occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. This condition is sometimes referred to as “insulin resistance.”

Left untreated, this resistance leads to raised blood glucose, or sugar levels, which can cause high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or impact organs and tissues, including the heart, kidneys and eyes.

Type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease, which means that it may worsen over time. Thankfully, with committed management and expert care, everyone with type 2 diabetes can lead a full, healthy life.

At Weill Cornell Medicine, we are committed to providing all patients with type 2 diabetes with the best possible care.

Expert, Comprehensive Surgical Care for Type 2 Diabetes

At Weill Cornell Medicine, our team includes national leaders in surgical and non-surgical diabetes care and management. We know that you are so much more than your diabetes, and are here to help you live the life you want as healthfully as possible.

Unlike bariatric surgery, metabolic surgery focuses on controlling metabolic conditions, not just excess weight. Metabolism is the chemical reactions in the body’s cells to change food into energy. Metabolic surgery includes surgery for diabetes and surgery for obesity and metabolic syndrome. It may also include surgery for weight reduction when it presents a significant burden on a patient’s quality of life.

Weill Cornell Medicine is a leader in the field, pioneering the treatments that have helped patients lose weight and control their type 2 diabetes safely and effectively.

Benefits of Metabolic and Diabetes Surgery

Many patients with diabetes consider metabolic surgery when non-surgical options are not enough to manage their weight. At Weill Cornell Medicine, you will meet directly with surgeons to discuss your health goals and to learn more about available procedures.

Metabolic and diabetes surgery benefits patients who find it challenging to manage their diabetes and weight. This surgery can:

● Promote remission (significant decrease in symptoms), during which blood sugar levels stabilize without medication

● Significantly improve blood glucose, which means that blood sugar levels are controlled more fully with less medication

● Improve metabolic conditions, such as hyperlipidemia (high levels of fat particles, or lipids, in the blood; hypertension (high blood pressure) and sleep apnea

● Improve overall health and quality of life

Most Advanced Surgery Options for Type 2 Diabetes

Our team provides the most advanced surgical options for weight loss.

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

This is a common form of weight loss surgery because it results in reliable weight loss with minimal risks and side effects. This procedure can also be performed laparoscopically.

During this procedure, the surgeon divides the top of the stomach to create a small pouch, which functions as the new stomach. The surgeon then makes a stoma (small opening) in the pouch and attaches that opening to the small intestine. Since the size of the new stomach pouch is limited, you feel more satisfied with less food.

This surgical option promotes weight loss and remission of type 2 diabetes for almost 80 percent of patients. Almost all patients experience an improvement in diabetes within a few weeks after the surgery. Over time, this procedure helps patients manage their diabetes by changing the metabolism and hormones produced in the intestines that affect the body’s ability to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Sleeve Gastrectomy

During this procedure, the surgeon removes approximately two thirds of the stomach laparoscopically — through small incisions (cuts) in the abdomen — so that the stomach takes the shape of a tube or “sleeve.”

This procedure changes the metabolism and hormones produced by the intestines. Over 60 percent of patients will have remission of type 2 diabetes after this procedure.

Single Anastomosis Duodeno-Ileal Bypass With Sleeve Gastrectomy (SADI-S)

This procedure was recently endorsed by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and is a modern version of the “duodenal switch” operation. During this procedure, the surgeon makes the stomach into a tube (a sleeve gastrectomy) and the small intestine is cut and reconnected to a loop of intestine further down, so your body absorbs fewer calories.

Since this procedure was developed, it has demonstrated excellent rates for weight loss and type 2 diabetes remission. It has also been shown to have fewer negative side effects than its predecessor duodenal switch.