Laparoscopic Mini gastric bypass surgery, as its name suggests is relatively easier, safer and less complicated form of traditional weight loss surgery which takes less time to perform than conventional laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery. Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery has gained an immense popularity in the recent years and it has been originally developed by Dr Robert Rutledge in 1997. Though a conventional gastric bypass surgery results in significant weight loss but it is also accompanied by a certain amount of risk related to the surgery. On the contrast, mini gastric bypass was developed to simplify the procedure, reduce operating time and to decrease the complication rates of Traditional Gastric Bypass Procedure.
The Mini-Gastric Bypass also known as Single Anastomosis Gastric Bypass, is an effective and well-established procedure which combines some of the properties of a gastric sleeve and a standard gastric bypass. The upper part of the stomach is divided into a tube, similar to the upper part of the sleeve, and then joined to a loop of intestine. It is both restrictive and mal-absorptive procedure which means this procedure reduces the actual size of your stomach, thereby restricting the amount of food you eat and also reduces the absorption of food you ate by bypassing the major part of intestines.
The Mini-Gastric Bypass can be used as a primary weight loss procedure. It can also be used in patients who have had previous gastric banding or sleeve surgery but have been unsuccessful with weight loss, or who have had band-related complications and have decided on revision surgery.
Patients with a body mass index of around 40 and above should consider the mini gastric bypass besides the traditional gastric bypass and gastric sleeve. If you have the other co-morbidities like, diabetes, hypertension, joint pain or sleep apnea, then a BMI of 30 or above can also be considered for this procedure.
Moreover, if you have had previous gastric banding or sleeve surgery but it was not successful in terms of weight loss or if you have had band-related complications and have decided on revision surgery, then Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery is a good option for you.
Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery is a minimally invasive procedure and is done under general anaesthesia. It takes around 1 hour to complete the procedure.
In this surgery, at first the top part of the stomach is stapled to form a thin tube of around 30 ml to 50 ml in size.
This thin tube now becomes the new, smaller stomach and is completely separated from the rest of the stomach.
This stomach is then sewn to a loop of the small intestine, bypassing the first part of the intestine called the duodenum.
The rest of the stomach and upper part of the small intestine remains in the body but is no longer used for food digestion.
Recovery Timeline
Recovery after this procedure is relatively quick since it is a laparoscopic (key-hole) procedure. Hospitalization of 2-3 days is required for this surgery and you may experience slight pain in your abdomen where the incisions are given, but it will wean off eventually. Post discharge, you are required to be on a strict diet as advised by the doctor. A liquid diet is usually given for initial 2 weeks post-surgery after which you are allowed to intake soft food. Approximately a month later, you can resume normal food intake. However, your revised diet plan will include more protein, fruits and veggies since you need to maximize your nutrient intake from every bite you eat.
Along with the proper diet, exercise and lifestyle changes also needs to be accommodated for desired weight loss and to sustain the results.
According to several studies done in the past you can expect an immediate weight loss of approximately 70 – 80% of your excess weight. Also, in most of these cases, at least 60 % of excess weight loss is sustained over long term.