Types of Surgery
There are different surgical options available depending on your situation and the recommendation of your surgeon. While Dr. Cahill has experience performing hundreds of these procedures, every surgery has risks and patient education is important
ROUX-EN-Y GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY
Roux-en-Y
Gastric Bypass surgery is the most common weight loss procedure performed today. The surgery is done laparoscopically, and in most cases only six, small, minimally invasive incisions are required. Gastric bypass procedures are combination operations. That is, they combine both restrictive and malabsorptive techniques to:
- Create a small stomach pouch to restrict the amount of food you can eat
- Construct a bypass of the duodenum and other parts of the small intestine to cause malabsorption
The Surgery
First, a small stomach pouch is created with staples or a vertical band to restrict food intake. Then a Y-shaped section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch to allow food to bypass the first and second segments of the small intestine reducing your body�s ability to absorb nutrients and calories. The result of this is a bypass of most of the stomach and duodenum.
ADVANTAGES: A hospital stay of 2-3 days is average. The reported weight loss from this procedure can vary, but patients generally report an average excess weight loss from 60% to 80% within one to two years. Gastric bypass is more effective in curing or improving obesity-related health problems than banding procedures. In addition, patients generally have more success with gastric bypass operations than restrictive procedures alone.
DISADVANTAGES: Gastric bypass is more difficult to perform (whether done as open surgery or laparoscopically) than gastric banding and has a higher complication rate. It�s also more likely to result in nutritional deficiencies for iron, calcium and Vitamin B-12. In addition, gastric bypass operations may cause dumping syndrome.� Nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness and sometimes diarrhea may occur as a result of food moving too fast through the small intestines. |
