Gastric Bypass Revision Surgery - Obesity Surgery Guide


Some rare circumstances that occur after gastric bypass surgery mean that revision is required. These situations are generally either if inadequate weight has been lost or if there have been some complications.

The most frequently experienced complication that means that a revision operation is needed is an intractable marginal ulcer. However, it is possible for a patient to 'out-eat' their gastric bypass, resulting in inadequate weight lost.

The chances of you suffering complications after revision surgery are higher than the initial surgery. These complications can range from events such as quickly regaining any weight you lost to more serious incidents including mortality.

Gastric Bypass Revision – Metabolic Complications

If you have had a gastric bypass but are not happy with the amount of weight that is lost, you may be subjected to either a modified version of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass where the malabsorptive aspect more exaggerated, or you may even be converted to a biliopancreatic diversion.

Occasionally, some patients who undergo surgery to heighten the malabsorptive aspect of the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass end up suffering from serious metabolic problems.

If you have suffered from a breakdown of the stapled segregation of your stomach, then it is recommended that you undergo a transection. A transection is used as it has been shown that simply re-stapling the stomach is often ineffective and it is likely that the staples will fail again.

Alternatively, if you have had a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass but subsequently suffer stomal stenosis and also fail any endoscopic dilation then you may need a gastroenterostomy revision. If it is possible, your surgeon may even reduce the size of your stomach pouch.

Gastric Bypass Revision – 'Out-eating'

It is possible for you to effectively 'out-eat' your gastric bypass procedure. This happens when the patient manages eats too much or unhealthy/ not recommended food so they do not lose sufficient amounts of weight. In such cases, you may undergo a revision gastric bypass surgery to further reduce the volume of the stomach pouch. However, if this fails then many surgeons are very reluctant to perform any further revision.

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