UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Clinical Center for the Management of Obesity provides advanced laparoscopic and open gastric bypass surgery to effectively treat obesity and related health complications. Our surgeons have experience with all weight-loss procedures and UT Southwestern was the first hospital in Texas to perform the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass operation.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
RYGB uses staples to close off the lower part of the stomach to create a small, upper pouch that is drained by the small intestine. This operation combines gastric restriction with a minimal degree of difficulty digesting or absorbing nutrients from food (malabsorption).

Advantages
RYGB can now be performed laparoscopically in most patients. The benefits include:

• much lower rates of incisional hernia and wound infection
• reduced pain
• faster return to work and normal activities

Considerations
Some patients are not good candidates this surgery due to larger size or extensive prior upper abdominal surgery. Gallbladder removal, hysterectomy, Caesarean section and appendectomy incisions do not usually prevent RYGB.

Expected Benefits

• average weight loss is one-third of initial, total body weight
• adult-onset diabetes mellitus improves in most patients with many becoming free of medicine, including the discontinuation of insulin
• improvements in hypertension and high cholesterol
• obstructive sleep apnea, shortness of breath, and other respiratory difficulties such as asthma, improve or go away completely
• gastro esophageal reflux is frequently cured immediately after surgery
• improvements in mobility and joint pain
• improvement with leg swelling or venous stasis disease, urinary incontinence and headaches