Juan Antonio Lopez Corvala Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

Had survery at Hosp Angeles with Dr Corvala. His reputation is well deserved. Great experience and would high recommend this world renowned surgeon

I chose dr corvala at hospital angeles in TJ. I like that fact the surgery is in a full scale real hospital with 100 plus beds and an ER and not a clinic they call a "bariatric hospital." that gives me more piece of mind if something goes wrong and I like being able to recover in a real hospital where the nurses will help me with the recovery process versus being all alone say in the TJ marriot after having a surgery. Dr. Corvala is also the most experienced surgeon in TJ who as taught many of the other surgeons. I'm paying 6500 for the package which appears to be more than the other surgeons in TJ but I believe you get what you pay for and don't want to go cheap on such a serious surgery that could mess one up for life it is botched. Dr corvala and hospital angeles offer the best quality to price ratio in north america in my opinion but i will be able to give a more accurate assessment after I have the surgery. note they just raised their price to 7500.

I'm almost 2 months out but took notes right after surgery for things I wish were different and things that were great. pros: the surgery so far seems successful, I have 5-6incisions that are small and thin less than 1inch and others about 1 cm in length
I haven't noticed any trauma or severe reactions to the surgery and the staff that was there was very attentive. The hospital was beautiful and I loved the room I stayed in. Cons: They say there is follow up but there is no follow up no one calls you to monitor your progress when you leave you are on your own and out of the 5 days I stayed at the hospital I say Dr. Lopez Corvala maybe 3 times and for very brief moments. I had one scare coming home after my flight I notice my feet had swollen and tried contacting his office and ending speaking to a nurse who told me it was edema (water retention) which is very common after surgery and it did go away after two days and was not painful just unsettling if you have never had it before.
Overall I think the surgery itself was well done and logically it is in another country and many hours away from where I live in TX so I take that into consideration and have no regrets. At $6,500 it is a superb facility with a skilled surgeon.

Dr. Corvalla and his team were wonderful to work with. They all were very skilled and professional. I would suggest them to anyone needing bariatric surgery. I am very happy I had them all to make my sleeve surgery go smooth. No problems,very little pain. Great hospital also. Thks Sheryl King-Lile

PLEASE HELP! HE was my surgeon in 2007 and Ilost contact info for himhe is a great Doctor my exp was wonderful the downfall is proper aftercare and fills as you have to see him there or shell out a lot of money to get one elsewhere

Dr. Corvala is excellent. He has a team of doctors who follow you but he also personally comes in daily and examines and brings you up to date. I have an excellent outcome. I would highly recommend him to anyone considering surgery.

I could write pages and pages of travelogue, but for brevity's sake, here's the Pros and Cons:

PROS:
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1. Dr. Corvala himself, as well as his medical team are competent, attentive, and good-natured. Dr. Corvala is a no-nonsense type of guy who's very passionate and confident in what he does. You will always see him with a small entourage of training physicians who are probably the next generation of bariatric specialists.

2. The Hospital: Clean, quiet, enormous. The private rooms are comfortable and modern, and the bathroom is stunningly elegant and comfortable. This facility could give most modern US hospitals a run for their money. The WiFi is not blazing fast, but respectable, hassle-free and reliable, which is more than I can say about the hotel's internet.

3. The support team: Esmeralda is always buzzing around the hospital, checking on people and wanting to make everything go smoothly. When I requested an extra wheeled table so my father could use his laptop, as well as an extra daybed mattress, they were provided to us immediately. Dr. Corvala's medical team are in your room literally every day and speak English very well.

4. The neighborhood: Tijuana's Zona Rio is a pleasant, though bustling center of business and city life. Just don't drive down there and you'll be fine. It's Americanized enough not to be intimidating, though Mexican enough to give you a little taste of the country's culture. Never did I feel unsafe or unwelcome. Every single person I met was kind and courteous, both inside the hospital and out.

5. The procedure: I should probably say, as someone who is about three months post-op, that I am satisfied with my surgery. I have had no complications or difficulties adjusting to my gastric sleeve and I would highly recommend Dr. Corvala to someone I cared about.

5. The Hotel (Camino Real): The hotel was great. They had a flatscreen I could hook my laptop to, their staff was courteous and prompt, and the rooms were clean and spacious. My only gripe is below.


CONS:
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1. The Language Barrier: This one comes up in reviews constantly, though I didn't realize how much Spanish I had already picked up throughout my life. I brought along a cheat sheet for communicating with the nurses, but Esmeralda beat me to it! She already had one and I used hers instead. And believe me, you'll want to know "Tengo Dolor," especially when you're whimpering the phrase in the recovery room. This wasn't a major issue, but there are a lot of nursing staff and orderlies who don't understand a word of English. Thankfully, they make up for it by being extra nice.

2. The Shopping: Be aware, especially if you're having a major procedure like a bypass or a sleeve, that you'll be responsible for feeding and medicating yourself while you're in the Hotel after you get out of the hospital. This can be tricky, since you have to track down the supplies to dress your surgical wounds, the medication prescribed to you by your doctor (which you can also get at the hospital) as well as foods that you can eat post-op (Hint, Mexicans love drinkable yogurt. And thankfully, they love them enough to make sugar-free versions). You will have to hike to the Calimax or Gushers, but it is a fun walk and it isn't far. Still, being cut loose like that in a foreign country can be frustrating for some, and terrifying for others.

3. Dr. Corvala uses JP Drains after his major procedures. Some doctors don't, and while he does it to make sure you're not getting infected, the device can be a major obstacle to persona hygiene while still in the hospital. It was the only thing that really kept this experience from being what I might call "easy."

4. Transportation to and from the hospital and the hotel is provided by the hotel, who can get a little testy if you're back and forth too many times. Tipping your driver always goes a long way. 40 pesos can make you a good friend after he's been waiting on you to get done having your incisions examined.

5. The Hotel WiFi: Camino Real has one of the most asinine and frustrating internet gateways I have ever used. They have a password they give you that expires every 24 hours and doesn't work on multiple devices. With my father and our two laptops and two smartphones, this hotel is definitely not techie-friendly.


So that pretty much sums it up. Dr. Corvala is a competent surgeon in my opinion. While I did not opt for the far more experimental Plication procedure he's been promoting lately, he seemed completely at ease with performing the sleeve gastrectomy and I'm having very good results with it so far, having lost over 60lbs in the three months since the surgery. While time will tell how I ultimately feel, so far Dr. C has my vote.

I had laproscopic gastric plication in December 2010 with Dr. Corvala in Mexico. I had no pre-existing conditions or diseases. Everything has gone well. The first week was HELL with the nausea and constant vomiting. I am almost 4 months out and my incisions have healed, I am down 40lbs(230 to 189). The hospital was as nice as anything in America. I am a nurse so I definitely know what I am talking about. Dr. Corvala had a great bedside manner and a caring staff. He did speak some English but relied on his MD associates to translate some details. He trains surgeons in the US in this procedure. the nurses were as helpful as can be. The only drawback is the nurses spoke limited English. I was there three days. The hospital room was modern and clean. All the patients I ran into were American. My surgery was uncomplicated. I have the utmost faith in this facility and the Dr. I would do it again in a minute. Being that this is in Mexico your aftercare is limited to phone calls. However, he gave me the films and the dictated surgical report and all contact info if I had to see a dr here in the US or had complications. If there is anyone that has questions I would be willing to help answer them.

Okay I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared to death. I was. But, Dr Lopez Corvala was a great doctor. I saw him only twice but his English was great and he asked me if I had any questions/concerns both times. I felt that he honestly wanted to help me.
Yes, there was a language barrier. Most staff speaks English, but not all. It did seem that I waited a little while for them to answer my buzzer calls but that most likely was because I am impatient.
I would do this again tomorrow. Everything was clean and nice. Everyone was kind.
Honestly, I went down there due to cost but it was a good experience.
Stay in the hospital - you will be in some pain the first day.


If you have specific questions I don't mind answering.
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i had my revision with Dr Juan Lopez Corvala on 02-25-2010 the same Dr that did my band... again a wonderfull experiance.. as well as they have stepped up there after care as well.. the Drs called me several times at home to check on me i have had a lot m ore contact with them than i did the first go around and that has been nice... i would recomend this dr to anyone and everyone!!!!




06-02-2007
all i can say is wow.. the whole process... the hospital was perfect.. cleaner than any hospital i have ever been to here in the states.. at first i was nervous about going to mexico just the whole idea... but it was great... i have had zero problems so far with my lap band he did a great job.. my aunt and uncle also went to him for their lap band and everything went perfect!.. if anything negative i could say was i dont speak spanish so that was a little frustrating and i would have liked to had more time b4 my surgery to talk to the dr himself but other than that it was all good!! his staff was great and babied me the whole way!