Gastric Bypass

Gastric bypass works in two ways. It limits the amount of food which can be eaten at once by stapling the stomach off to create a small gastric pouch, usually the size of an egg. And provides minimal ‘malabsorption’ of food, by rerouting and bypassing 2 to 6 feet of small intestine to the stomach pouch.

The gastric bypass is an effective tool in losing and maintaining weight. This usually results in either significant improvement or complete resolution of medical problems related to obesity. However this surgical procedure, its not intended for all levels of obesity and it has to be performed by extremely experienced hands.

What is Gastric Bypass?

A gastric bypass means that you cut the stomach high up so that you separate the stomach in two parts - a small upper part and a large lower part. The upper part is then connected to the small bowel a bit downstream on the small bowel. The larger lower part of the stomach is just left lying idle. It is out of the food circulation and will never again be filled with food. So you end up with a small stomach and a shorter bowel. This means that you will feel full more quickly (because of the small stomach) and that you will absorb less of the food actually eaten (because of the shorter bowel).

Now - the small upper part of the stomach can be connected to the small bowel in a number of different ways: antecolic GE, retrocolic GE, with or without enteroanastomosis (EA), Fobi pouch - and Roux-en-Y. So the name Roux-enY is not a separate operation - it is just a technical descripton for the model for connecting the small stomach to the bowel. All of these (including Roux-en-Y) are gastric bypass operations.

Here at the Obesity Goodbye center we offer the experience necessary to help you better decide on the solution that it’s right for you.

Mini Gastric Bypass (MGB)

A few years ago, Dr Robert Rutledge from North Carolina, described with success a new form of derivation that himself calls Mini-Gastric bypass or MGB practiced by laparoscopy, that much simpler and faster, ( 40 - 60 min) with results excellent more than 5 years and 2600 patients later, and apparently avoids or diminishes the complications of intestinal obstruction and internal hernias of the classical GBP. The patients are usually walking without aid in the walkway of the hospital and are offered liquids juices, gelatins, soups , etc. the same evening . The loss of weight is equal to classical GBP. Our group currently recommends this as the procedure of election.

Dr. Robert Ruthledge of the University of North Carolina describes some of the advantages of the MGB:

1. Low risk... almost the same of the of gallbladder operation ,
   
2. Significant weight Loss. Average 67 kg . ( 140 lbs .)
   
3. Easier to perform ...technically simpler
   
4. Shorter operating time. Less than 45 Min.
   
5. Hospitalization very short. Less than 24 hours
   
6. Loss blood: minimum. Less than 15 Ml.
   
7. Minimal Pain. Rare use of narcotic later than 24 Hours.
   
8. Satisfaction of the patient : 98 %
   
9. Easy to revise or revert by Laparoscopy. Revision < 60 minutes
   
10. Few perforations or adhesions (0.01 %)
    
11. Anastomosis failures. Less than 1 %
    
12. Return to work in no more than 3 days
    
13. Loss of weight long-lasting. Less than 10 % will "rebound"
    
14. Does not introduce foreign bodies,
    
15. The results have been confirmed by independent observers CPA certified