What is a gastric bypass operation?
Gastric bypass operations performed by the center’s surgical staff combine the restriction of food intake with construction of bypasses of the duodenum and other segments of the small intestine to cause reduced calorie and nutrient absorption, known as malabsorption. Since these procedures don’t just decrease food intake, they produce more weight loss than restrictive operations. Patients who have bypass operations generally lose two-thirds of their excess weight within two years. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RGB), the most common gastric bypass procedure, restricts food intake by creating a small stomach pouch with stapling, after which a Y-shaped section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch that allows food to bypass the stomach and the first segment of the small intestine (the duodenum and the jejunum), producing malabsorption. Possible side effects of gastric bypass include pouch stretching, band erosion, breakdown of staple lines, leakage of stomach contents into the abdom
