The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) offers the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure. Roux was named for the Swiss surgeon who developed this technique joining the stomach pouch to the small intestine and creating a "Y" shaped intestinal junction.

By reducing the size of the stomach, gastric bypass surgery severely restricts the amount of food you can consume. This surgery is not considered reversible.

Long-term success depends in large part on permanently following a restricted diet and making major lifestyle changes.

Step One
The stomach is stapled just below the esophagus, forming a 20 to 30cc (1 ounce) stomach pouch above the staples, severely restricting the amount and kind of food and liquid that can be consumed at one time.

Step Two
The small bowel is divided about four feet below the stomach (points A and B). Then a new 1.5 centimeter opening (stoma) is created in the stomach pouch (point C).

Step Three
The open end of the small bowel at point B is attached to the new opening at point C. Food and fluids can now pass from the stomach pouch into the small bowel. The remaining end of the small bowel (point A) is attached at point D, creating a “Y” shaped intestinal junction. An opening is made at point D to allow digestive juices from the bypassed part of the stomach to flow into the small bowel.

Adapted from Bray, G.A., Gray, D.S. Obesity, Part I. Pathogenesis. West J. Med. 1988: 149: 429-41.

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