CAMC Weight Loss Center

3100 McCorkle Ave, SE

Suite 202
Charleston, WV 25304

(304) 388-4965
(866) 788-4965   

Comprehensive care                                                                                      LAB-BAND system                                                                                     Revisional weight loss surgery 
Possible complications                                                                               Benefits of weight loss surgery

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

How does the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass work?

The gastric bypass is both a restrictive and a malabsorptive procedure and is the current gold standard in weight loss surgery in the U.S..

This surgery achieves its effects by creating a small stomach pouch (15 to 20 cc, 1-2 oz., or about the size of your thumb). The rest of the stomach is permanently separated from the new pouch. The small intestine is cut below the stomach at the jejunum and is rearranged to provide an outlet from the new stomach pouch to the jejunum. The other end is connected into the side of the Roux limb (see below figure), of the intestine, creating the “Y” shape that gives the technique its name. In this way, the flow of digestive juices from the lower stomach is maintained. Bile and digestive juices are still released from the old stomach and travel down the duodenum and into the jejunum at the new connection.

The new anatomy help restrict the type and amount of food consumed and absorbed. The gastric bypass provides a tool with which you can potentially lose a substantial amount of excess body weight, as long as you are motivated to maintain life-style changes, healthier eating habits and regular exercise.

How is the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass performed?
Click here for a short movie of the procedure