A form of gastric bypass surgery was first described by the Swiss surgeon César Roux (1857-1934) hence the name “Roux-en-Y gastric bypass” or RYGBP. Gastric bypass is a more involved operation than gastric banding because it involves dividing both the stomach and the bowel. Despite its more invasive nature, in expert hands RYGBP is a relatively safe and extremely effective form of weight loss surgery.
Click on the image right to see an animation of the gastric bypass procedure. As explained within the animation, the RYGBP can be divided into 4 key steps:
STEP 1
To gain access to the abdominal cavity, small incisions are created in the abdominal wall through which trocars - which serve as passageways for the surgical instruments – are then passed.
STEP 2
A small stomach pouch is then created using a stapling device, which both staples and cuts at the same time. This pouch has a capacity of only 15-30cc and serves to drastically reduce the volume of food which can be consumed at any one time.
STEP 3
The small bowel is divided about 40cm (18ins) below the stomach. The lower part of the bowel is then taken up and attached to the newly formed stomach pouch.
STEP 4
Finally, the upper part of the small bowel is connected (side-to-side) to the lower part of the small bowel. This joining between sections of bowel is referred to as an “anastamosis” and the distance from the stomach pouch to this point – called the “Roux limb” - is usually around 1.5m.
