Consensus Conference Statement

Although the Conerence was addressed by the Honorable Tommy Thompon, Secretary of Health and Human Services, this report is ot a policy statement of the federal government and reflects the panel’s assessment of medical nowledge available at the time it was written.

Abstract

This Consensus Statement on the state of bariatric surgery for morbid obesity has been prepared by a panel of broadly based and experienced experts based on presentations by investigators working in areas relevant to current questions in this field during a 1½-day public session; questions and statements from conference attendees during open discussion periods that were part of the public sessions; and closed deliberations by the panel. This statement is an independent report of the panel and is not a policy statement of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery or any of the sponsors or endorsers of the Consensus Conference. Though the Consensus Conference is modeled on the format used by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the planning, execution, and development of the conference and preparation of this statement were carried out without any relationship with the NIH. In addition, although the Conference was addressed by the Honorable Tommy Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Services, this report is not a policy statement of the federal government.