Roux-en-Y stomach surgery for weight loss



             The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure involves creating a stomach pouch out of a small portion of the stomach and attaching it directly to the small intestine, bypassing a large part of the stomach and duodenum. Not only is the stomach pouch too small to hold large amounts of food, but by skipping the duodenum, fat absorption is substantially reduced

GASTRIC BYPASS
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the most common surgery of this type.
The surgery is performed under anesthesia. There are two basic steps:
STEP 1 -- The first step in the surgical procedure makes your stomach smaller. The surgeon divides the stomach into a small upper section and a larger bottom section using staples that are similar to stitches. The top section of the stomach (called the pouch) will hold your food.
STEP 2 -- After the stomach has been divided, the surgeon connects a section of the small intestine to the pouch. When you eat, the food will now travel from the pouch through this new connection ("Roux limb"), bypassing the lower part of the stomach. The surgeon will then reconnect the base of the Roux limb with the rest of the small intestines from the bottom of the stomach, forming a y-shape.
             This "y-connection" allows food to mix with pancreatic fluid and bile, helping to absorb important vitamins and minerals. You may have poor absorption of certain nutrients.
             The risk of poor absorption is of greater concern in gastric surgeries that skip over a larger portion of the small intestines. These are performed much less often than the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass described here. Gastric bypass can be performed as open surgery with a larger surgical cut in the abdomen. It may also be done using a camera placed in the abdomen (laparoscopy). This less-invasive technique allows the surgeon to make smaller surgical cuts, which lowers the risk of large scars and hernias after the procedure.
             First, small incision is made in your abdomen. The surgeon passes thin surgical instruments through these narrow openings. The surgeon also passes a camera (laparoscope) through one of these small openings and watches through a lens and video monitor to do the surgery.
Not everyone is a candidate for the laparoscopic approach. Your surgeon will determine the best and safest approach for you.

You may NOT be a good candidate for laparoscopy if you:
Have had past abdominal surgery, due to scar tissue
Have significant heart and lung disease
Weigh more than 350 pounds
             Gastric bypass tends to work better for weight loss than purely restrictive surgeries. However, your body may not absorb vitamins and minerals properly.

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Reference:  MedlinePlus ,OR Live