Introduction and overview of current and emerging operations

All would agree that obesity has become a worldwide epidemic associated with drastic deleterious effects on the health and mortality of patients. A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that at least 400 million adults around the world were obese in 2005. Historical operations, such as the jejunoileal and jejunocolic bypass, paved the road for the development of the commonly performed operations, including the gastric bypass. With the advent of laparoscopy and significant reduction in perioperative morbidity and mortality, it is no surprise that the demand for bariatric surgery has exponentially grown. New technological advances intended to treat obesity are continually in the process of being developed and tested for use. Endoscopic interventions such as transoral gastroplasty, the intragastric balloon, and the endoluminal gastrointestinal liner are a few devices that have gained recognition and demonstrated promising results.