The gastric bypass procedure is a type of bariatric surgery or weight loss surgery designed to reduce your food intake if you have tried and failed to lose weight through diet and exercise.
Gastric bypass can greatly improve the quality of life not only because of an improvement in appearance and an increase in mobility, but also because it can reduce the number and severity of health problems that overweight people are prone to suffer, such as diabetes and heart/circulation problems.
It is a complex procedure performed under general anesthesia — you sleep through it. Time in surgery is approximately one to four hours, followed by a one- to seven-day stay in the hospital. Currently, two techniques are available for gastric bypass:
Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass (traditional and laparoscopic) Biliopancreatic diversion bypass Roux-en-Y-Gastric Bypass (Traditional and Laparoscopic)
The Roux-en-Y bypass is more common and considered less complicated than the biliopancreatic diversion bypass, since Roux-en-Y does not remove portions of the stomach.
The traditional Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass is performed through open surgery with one long incision.
The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass can also be performed laparoscopically. The laparoscopic Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass uses multiple smaller incisions (instead of one long incision) a laparoscopic tool is inserted, which offers a visual guide to the inside of the abdomen during the procedure.
The laparoscopic Roux-en-Y produces less scarring and lets you recover faster than the traditional Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass. But the laparoscopic approach is still new, so long-term results have not been fully evaluated.
The traditional Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass is performed through open surgery with one long incision.
The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass can also be performed laparoscopically. The laparoscopic Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass uses multiple smaller incisions (instead of one long incision) a laparoscopic tool is inserted, which offers a visual guide to the inside of the abdomen during the procedure.
The laparoscopic Roux-en-Y produces less scarring and lets you recover faster than the traditional Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass. But the laparoscopic approach is still new, so long-term results have not been fully evaluated.
Biliopancreatic Diversion Bypass
The biliopancreatic diversion bypass is performed through open surgery with one long incision, leaving a permanent scar. It is less common and more complicated than the Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass.
In the biliopancreatic diversion, portions of the stomach are removed and the bypass is attached to the distal illium. This procedure is not widely used, because there is more risk of nutritional deficiencies.
In the biliopancreatic diversion, portions of the stomach are removed and the bypass is attached to the distal illium. This procedure is not widely used, because there is more risk of nutritional deficiencies.
