Distal Gastric Bypass
All You Need to Know about Distal Gastric Bypass Surgery including risks, costs, complications,and recovery.
Also known as long limb Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the distal gastric bypass combines the effect of restriction and malabsorption. Restriction happens when the small pouch is created from the stomach, reducing its capacity to contain food. Malabsorption, on the other hand, happens when a large segment of the small intestines is bypassed and thus reducing the calorie intake and fat absorption of the body. The difference between the short limb or also known as proximal gastric bypass from the long limb or the long limb distal bypass, is the length of the roux limb. Also, the long limb gastric bypass is more often than not results in more malabsorption than the short limb gastric bypass.
The distal gastric bypass like any other weight loss surgery provides morbidly obese patients a solution to their weight loss dilemma. The operation of this surgery primarily entails the removal of the greater curvature of the stomach, which reduces the volume the stomach pouch could carry. In numbers, the volume is reduced to about 100 to 150ccs in size compared to 20-30ccs in other obesity operations. This act is to limit food intake as well as to reduce excess stomach acid, hence preventing ulcer formation. The small intestine is then divided fairly at its midpoint. The upper part of the small intestine, the duodenum, has the end of the “distal” small bowel attached to it; while the other end is attached to the intestine at about 3 to 4 feet from its intersection with the large bowel. This provides two tracts, one for food and one for the transportation of bile and pancreatic juices down to the food. Fast cannot be absorbed by the body unless they become water soluble which can only happen through the help of the bile. So basically, the aim of this operation is to keep the bile from the mixing with the food. With two separate tracts, full digestion and absorption will only happen when the two tracts meet. And yes, though out the operation, the patient will be under general anesthesia. This means that the patient will be asleep in the duration of the operation. Anesthesia can be given either by gas which the patient can inhale or through an IV.
The great part in this operation is that there is zero risk to have the feared dumping syndrome when one undergoes gastric bypass surgery. Dumping syndrome is not likely to happen since the food has traveled through the stomach. Another is that the pyloric valve of the stomach is kept intact which controls the release of the stomach contents to the intestines. And since the intestine is divided into two tracts, only a small percentage of fats can be digested and absorbed since the fats, bile and pancreatic juices would only meet in the last 15 – 20 percent of the small intestine. Like any other abdominal surgeries, risks and complications are always possible no matter how efficient and credible the surgeons are, this, the patients must understand.
