Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
(Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass)

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is a relatively new approach to bariatric surgery that is less painful and allows patients to leave the hospital sooner and get back to their normal activities. This technique is also referred to as minimally invasive surgery.

The advantage of laparoscopic surgery is that no large incisions are used. Instead, the surgeon operates through a number of small openings about the size of buttonholes, while simultaneously viewing the patient's internal organs on a TV monitor that receives a real-time picture from an internal camera.

Laparoscopy is setting new standards for patient care because it allows surgeons to perform operations without the trauma and pain experienced with a large incision.  It also reduces the risk of complications including hernias and wound infections and results in significantly less scarring. Thanks to both the skill of the surgeon and advances in technology, laparoscopic techniques are being applied to a growing number of procedures and will someday replace many more open surgical techniques.

Almost all gastric bypass surgeries performed by the UI Obesity Surgery program use this state-of-the-art minimally invasive approach.

Not all patients will qualify for the laparoscopic approach. Surgeons with the UI Obesity Surgery program evaluate patients on an individual basis regarding the appropriateness of the procedure. This decision is based on patients’ weight, stature and previous abdominal surgeries.