Who is eligible for laparoscopic bariatric surgery?
A. The eligibility for the laparoscopic approach is based on the patient’s body mass index (BMI) at the time of the initial consultation, body build (pear versus apple body type), prior surgical history, and the ability of the patient to tolerate inflation of the abdomen. The following guidelines for selecting patients for obesity surgery were established in 1991 by the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Panel for treatment of severe obesity.
