Weight Loss Surgery | Newton-Wellesley Hospital

Start Your Weight Loss Journey Today

The Center for Weight Loss Surgery at Newton-Wellesley Hospital has been a leader in the field of bariatric surgery since 2005. We understand the weight loss challenges you may be facing and we’re here to help you every step of the way.

Our compassionate and experienced bariatric surgeons perform hundreds of procedures each year. They have a 95 percent success rate, which is defined as having a person lose 65 percent of his or her excess weight and maintain that weight loss. At the Center for Weight Loss Surgery, we emphasize that bariatric surgery is not a cure for obesity. However, we do believe that it is an effective way to reduce excess weight and control the serious conditions that result from obesity.

Our team works closely with our patients, who come to us from Greater Boston and all of New England on individualized treatment plans, helping you determine the surgical approach that will work best for your health. Our team approach allows you to develop a relationship not only with your surgeon but with our patient navigator, dietitians and nurses certified in weight loss surgery.

Not sure if weight loss surgery is your next step? Take our three-minute weight loss surgery quiz to learn more.

Take Our Weight Loss Surgery Quiz

Meet Your Care Team

Our bariatric surgeons are leaders in the field and have 50 years of experience combined.

Sheila Partridge, MD, Surgical Director

Susana Wishnia, MD

In addition to our bariatric surgeon, a patient navigator, dietitians, licensed psychiatric specialists and certified nurses with a specialty in bariatric surgery are involved in your care from the beginning, and remain available for lifelong follow-up care. We understand that lifelong support is crucial for your long-term success, and we offer several weight loss surgery support groups each month.

Your Treatment Options

The Center for Weight Loss Surgery at Newton-Wellesley Hospital offers a variety of treatment options. We will help you find the best option for your body and help you achieve your weight loss goals.

We offer:

Sleeve Gastrectomy

This is the most frequently performed bariatric surgery at Newton-Wellesley. During this procedure, the surgeon creates a small, sleeve-shaped stomach, about the size of a banana. Approximately 85% of your stomach is removed, leaving the sleeve-shaped stomach. Sleeve gastrectomy has become one of the major weight loss interventions throughout the world, and in the U.S., private insurers are covering this medically necessary procedure.

Duodenal Switch Procedure

A duodenal switch procedure is also known as biliopancreatic diversion with a duodenal switch, or BPD-DS. This procedure is more complex than other types of weight loss surgery, and it is less common. A duodenal switch involves two surgical procedures.

The first procedure is similar to gastric sleeve surgery, in which a large portion of your stomach is removed.
The second procedure redirects food so that it bypasses most of your small intestine. The bypassed section is reattached to the last part of your small intestine to allow digestive juices to mix with food.

Roux-en-Y Bypass Surgery

The Roux-en-Y procedure is recommended for individuals with esophageal injury from conditions such as severe acid reflux and/or Barrett’s esophagus and if you are not a candidate for the more common sleeve gastrectomy procedure. In the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure, stapling creates a small stomach (gastric) pouch. The remainder of your stomach is not removed, but is divided from your stomach pouch and empties into the first part of the intestine which is bypassed.

Laparoscopic Revision Procedures

We perform laparoscopic gastric band removal surgery, conversion of gastric band to sleeve and bypass, as well as other major revision surgery such as laparoscopic gastric bypass reversal, reversal to gastric sleeve to enable patient to have the second stage operation of the laparoscopic SIPS- Duodenal Switch.

Surgeries include:

Laparoscopic gastric band removal surgery
Conversion of gastric band to sleeve and bypass
Other major revision surgery; such as laparoscopic gastric bypass reversal
Laparoscopic gastric bypass reversal to gastric sleeve (to enable patient to have the second stage operation and take the next metabolic step by undergoing the laparoscopic SIPS- Duodenal Switch procedure).

There are three basic aspects of weight loss surgery that promote the loss of weight: restrictive, metabolic, and malabsorptive changes. We perform laparoscopic weight loss procedures that combine restrictive and metabolic components. We do not offer purely restrictive procedures, such as laparoscopic gastric bands (lap band) or vertical banded gastroplasty, because of their risks and poor long term weight loss outcomes. However, we do perform lap band removal and lap band conversion to other weight loss procedures.

Center of Excellence

The Center for Weight Loss Surgery at Newton-Wellesley Hospital is continuously recognized for excellence in the field of bariatric surgery.

Ranked among the top 5% in the nation for Bariatric Surgery
Recipient of the HealthGrades Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award
Five-Star Rated for Bariatric Surgery
Accredited as a Level 1A Bariatric Surgery Center from the American College of Surgeons (ACS), the highest level of accreditation a center can receive

MBSAQIP Accreditation

The Center for Weight Loss Surgery at NWH is an accredited center through the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement program (MBSAQIP). This accreditation provides confirmation that a bariatric surgery center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality care for its bariatric patients, 2016 to present.

Blue Distinction+ Award

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has recognized the Center for Weight Loss Surgery at Newton-Wellesley Hospital with a Center of Blue Distinction+® designation, for making a difference in healthcare outcomes and value in the area of bariatric surgery.