Mini Gastric Bypass

What Is A Mini Gastric Bypass?

The goal of this article is to answer the question what is mini gastric bypass surgery and the provide information about the difference between mini gastric bypass vs gastric bypass.

Mini gastric bypass surgery is an alternative to some of the more popular types of bariatric surgery (also known as weight loss stomach surgery) procedures available today.

Mini gastric bypass surgery is also known as MGB. It is considered minimally invasive because it's done with a laparoscope, which is a tube-like surgical instrument with a tiny camera attached. It is therefore sometimes called laparoscopic mini bypass surgery. The surgeon inserts the laparoscope into the abdomen through a small incision, rather than opening the abdomen with a large cut. The surgeon works by watching the picture from the camera.

Laparoscopic mini gastric bypass surgery may take as little as 30 minutes. A hospital stay is necessary, but it can be as short as one day. Recovery is much faster than traditional open stomach weight loss surgery.

Most reports claim the risk of mini gastric bypass surgery is low, and long term weight loss results are good. There are no large scars and there's less chance of a hernia.

As with any gastric bypass surgery, cost is also a consideration. Most weight loss stomach surgery procedures like the Roux en Y cost between $20,000 and $30,000. MGB is generally under $20,000.

How does MGB work?

MGB differs from the more common Roux en Y procedure. The Roux en Y involves stapling part of the stomach into a small pouch, in effect making it smaller so the patient eats less and is satisfied sooner. The Roux en Y also involves bypassing a section of the small intestine where much of what we eat is absorbed. Food passes more quickly to the lower part of the intestine, which is less absorptive. The patient retains fewer calories.

MGB also uses a stapling process, but forms the stomach into a slender tube instead. The tube is then attached to the small intestine farther down the digestive tract, once again bypassing the highly absorptive area of the small intestine just beyond the stomach.

Mini gastric bypass surgery is something only morbidly obese people should consider, and then only after other attempts to lose weight, like diet and exercise, have failed.

See our related article on stomach stapling.