Division of Foregut and Metabolic Bariatric Surgery

Providing holistic and advanced treatment

Our division provides leading-edge care for patients with medical obesity and those requiring foregut surgery. We take a holistic approach to medical obesity care, with a full medical weight loss team to address patients’ needs before and after surgery.

What sets us apart 

  • Strong partnership with OHSU’s Department of Pharmacy Services to understand and prescribe current and new weight loss medications
  • Innovative clinical programs with a multidisciplinary approach to medical obesity care
  • Advanced surgical technologies for both foregut and bariatric surgery
  • Ongoing and extensive research programs in bariatric and foregut conditions and treatments  

Clinical programs

We use advanced robotic, endoscopic, stapler and magnetic technologies throughout our clinical programs.

Bariatric Treatment and Surgical Center 

Our center specializes in weight loss surgery, nutrition and lifestyle adjustment. The team includes the following specialists trained in caring for patients with medical obesity: 

  • Bariatric nurse practitioners
  • Clinical dieticians
  • Nurses
  • Psychologists
  • Support staff 

Procedures offered include: 

Surgical management of foregut disease

We treat benign and malignant foregut disease, including hiatal hernia, esophageal cancer and Barrett’s esophagus.  

Additional care for patients with medical obesity

We provide acute care general surgery for patients with medical obesity and those undergoing bariatric surgery 

Fellowships

We train fellows through our non-ACGME Advanced GI/MIS Fellowship.

Research programs, studies and clinical trials

Databases and registries

We are developing new databases to collect information on: 

  • Malabsorption in patients who have had switch procedures
  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease issues in bariatric surgical patients  

We hope to better understand how to improve treatments for both conditions.  

The OHSU Esophageal Cancer and Related Diseases database has clinical and pathologic data on our patients with esophageal cancer. It enrolls patients being treated for esophageal cancer and related conditions (Barrett’s esophagus, gastroesophageal reflux disease, achalasia and dysphagia) with the goal of collecting their blood, tissue and data.

Esophageal conditions

We are studying predictors and outcomes of patients between 80 and 89 years old who have esophagectomy surgery for esophageal cancer. We are also studying how patients feel and function after minimally invasive esophagectomy. 

Our researchers are assessing the treatment and outcomes of patients with concurrent diagnoses of achalasia and severe obesity who have had or may have bariatric surgery. We hope to improve the concurrent management of the conditions and patients’ quality of life.

We are also studying factors linked with patients progressing from Barrett’s esophagus to esophageal cancer.

Hernias

Our faculty are studying whether posterior rectus sheath hiatal augmentation is effective in patients with challenging paraesophageal hernias. They are also studying whether the standard use of mesh placement in minimally invasive hiatal hernia surgery affects postoperative hernia and symptom recurrence rates.

Gastroparesis 

We are researching whether and which surgical interventions in patients with gastroparesis affect their use of hospital resources. 

Questions? 

Email us at surgdept@ohsu.edu. 

Faculty careers

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Be part of something bigger

Meet division faculty

Brian F. Lane, M.D., is assistant professor and division head of Bariatric Surgery. Dr. Lane’s areas of interest include MIS quality applications for acute care general and trauma surgery, long-term follow-up of duodenal switch patients, therapeutic surgical endoscopy and bariatric and acute care general surgery in bariatric surgery patients and those with severe obesity.