Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

The most common surgical procedure used for weight loss in North America is the gastric bypass. Although most bariatric surgeons still perform gastric bypass using traditional open techniques, or are struggling to learn the laparoscopic techniques, our surgeon is an acknowledged expert in laparoscopic surgery. The gastric bypass creates a small upper stomach pouch which restricts food intake to one or two ounces at a time. It also bypasses most of the stomach and a small portion of the upper intestines. Gastric bypass has been the "gold standard" for weight loss surgery in America. Laparoscopic gastric bypass results in dramatically improved patient recovery and a dramatically lower chance of hernia and wound infection. No stomach or intestine is removed during gastric bypass surgery. The small stomach pouch allows patients to feel full with much smaller meals. The bypass results in changes in food digestion which causes an intolerance and often a dislike of large quantities of concentrated sugar. This effect helps those who have failed multiple diets due to a tendency to eat sweets.

The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery is performed laparoscopically. Small incisions are used to insert laparoscopic instruments which allows dissection and separation of a small stomach pouch directly below the esophagus. In the next step in the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery procedure, the small intestine is cut approximately 20 inches after its origin. Then, the end still connected to the lower intestinal tract directly

to the new stomach pouch is connected. Finally, the end still attached to the now-detached stomach he connects to the small intestine about 40 to 60 inches down the intestinal tract.

After Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery ingested food passes only through the limb of intestine attached to the small stomach pouch, also known as the Roux limb. Food does not pass through the bypassed limb of intestine. Nutrients and calories are not absorbed in the Roux limb due to the absence of digestive juices there. However, those digestive juices continue to pass through the bypassed limb, meeting up with food much farther down the small intestine where the bypassed limb reconnects with the Roux limb.