Duodenal Switch surgery is a combination of a gastric sleeve & gastric bypass surgery. It is one of the more rare primary treatments for morbid obesity. However, it often creates the most weight loss. Duodenal Switches are done by stapling about 70% of the stomach off & leaving the rest of the stomach connected as it normally does to the first part of the intestine (the duodenum).
Duodenal Switch
Before the intestine reach the appendix the intestine is cut & is re-attached at a lower area of the intestine. This prevents bile & digestive juices to start processing the food when it gets further down the intestine resulting in less caloric absorption.
Restrictive & malabsorptive:
- The procedure reduces your stomach size to about 30% of its normal size.
- Limits the amount of food that you can eat in one sitting.
- Food still passes through the stomach to its normal entry into the intestine.
- Food is re-routed & reconnected further down the intestine.
- This process creates significant malabsorption of calories.
It is longer & more technically demanding surgery than a gastric band or gastric bypass. Duodenal Switches typically create the longest bypass of the intestine which is why a surgeon must be careful to not bypass too much intestine. Duodenal Switch typically results in more weight loss than other bariatric procedures.
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