Hahnemann University Hospital's Center for Surgical Weight Loss will host an interactive webcast of a bariatric surgery, also known as Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery, and a panel discussion on the benefits of minimally invasive techniques for this procedure including use of the da Vinci® robot, on Thursday, May 18, 2006 at 7 p.m. (EDT)

                 **View Replay**

Bariatric surgeon Dr. Andres Castellanos will lead the interactive panel discussion and narrate the laparscopic, or minimally invasive, surgical procedure he performed at Hahnemann.

Viewers will have the opportunity to ask questions through email of Dr. Castellanos and his guest panelists including a former bariatric surgery patient, and members of Hahnemann's multidisciplinary team of specialists.

They include nutritionist Marcie Amerstein, psychiatrist Ralph Petrucci, Ph.D., and pulmonologist Joanne Getsy, M.D., who are directly involved in evaluating potential bariatric surgery patients.

According to Dr. Castellanos, nearly 65 percent of all Americans are considered overweight, about 25 percent are considered obese, and more than five percent are considered morbidly obese.

"Obesity and morbid obesity are serious medical conditions with serious medical consequences," says Dr. Castellanos.

"I encourage anyone who has been unsuccessful in past attempts to lose weight through a structured weight loss program, or anyone who has a close friend or family member fitting this description, to tune in to our webcast to learn more about surgical weight loss and Hahnemann's surgical weight loss program."

Replay:  http://www.or-live.com/hahnemannhospital/1640 or to learn more and view a program preview. VNR: http://www.or-live.com/rams/hun-1640-mkw-q.ram