Gastric Bypass

In a gastric bypass surgery—also known as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the stomach is divided into upper and lower portions and a small pouch is created that is separate from the rest of the stomach. The small intestine is then directly connected to this pouch so food can bypass the stomach. The re-routing of the intestines results in changes to metabolic hormones that leads to less hunger between meals and an increased sensation of fullness. Gastric bypass is the most effective treatment for morbid obesity as the resulting weight loss is typically dramatic.