Gastric bypass surgery

Gastric bypass surgery, or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, is a procedure almost exclusively used in surgical weight-loss applications to correct morbid obesity.

Procedure

The procedure involves stomach stapling to reduce the stomach to a "pouch" of 30–60 mL (1–2 fl oz) in capacity and connecting this pouch at a point midway along the small intestine. The larger portion of the stomach is left in the body and is connected to the small intestine further down, in order to allow the introduction of gastric juices that are essential for digestion. The surgery varies in length and can be performed through a 6–8 inch vertical incision in the abdomen or through a number of small incisions (see laparoscopic surgery).

Related Topics:
Stomach stapling - Stomach - ML - Fl oz - Small intestine - Digestion - Incision - Abdomen - Laparoscopic surgery

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Gastric bypass surgery has two main results: the tiny stomach pouch means that the patient is able to eat only very small portions of food at a time, drastically reducing intake of calories; and the shortened digestive tract prevents those calories from being fully absorbed. This is why gastric bypass surgery is classified as both a restrictive (reducing intake) and malabsorptive (reducing absorption) procedure.

Related Topics:
Calorie - Restrictive - Malabsorptive

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