- It’s technically simple and has a short surgery time.
- It can be done in certain patients with high-risk medical conditions.
- It may be the first step for patients with severe obesity or as a bridge to gastric bypass.
- The surgery brings effective weight loss and improvement of obesity-related conditions (typically 50%-60%, by Mayo Clinic estimates), with a low complication rate (2%-3%).
Disadvantages:
- Nonreversible procedure.
- May worsen or cause new reflux and heartburn.
- Less impact on metabolism, compared to bypass procedures.
Gastric bypass
Gastric bypass, also known as the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (French for “in the form of a Y”) is another effective procedure used to treat obesity and obesity-related diseases (done laparoscopically since the 1990s).
For the operation, surgeons divide the stomach into a smaller top portion (pouch) about the size of an egg, then the larger part of the stomach is bypassed and no longer stores or digests food.
The small intestine is divided and connected to the new egg-sized stomach pouch to allow food to pass.
Gastric bypass works by limiting the amount of food and calories a patient can consume. It also decreases hunger and increases fullness, allowing the patient to reach and maintain a healthy weight. The impact on hormones and metabolic health often results in improvement of diabetes and helps patients with reflux.
Advantages:
- Reliable and long-lasting weight loss.
- Effective for remission of obesity-associated conditions.
- Effective weight loss (60%-70%, by Mayo Clinic estimates).
Disadvantages:
- Technically more complex when compared to gastric sleeve or band.
- More vitamin and mineral deficiencies than with gastric sleeve or band.
- Risk for small bowel complications and obstruction, as well as ulcers, especially with NSAID or tobacco use.
- May cause “dumping syndrome,” a feeling of sickness after eating or drinking, especially sweets.
A version of this article first appeared on WebMD.com.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to properly identify a product referenced in the story.