Laparoscopic Duodenal Switch

Many severely obese patients benefit from the long term effects of a laparoscopic duodenal switch

Laparoscopic duodenal switch surgery is one of the most effective and least common types of weight loss surgery. This is partly because biliopancreatic diversion with laparoscopic duodenal switch is a much more complex form of weight loss surgery. Additionally, there are much fewer surgeons that perform the biliopancreatic diversion with laparoscopic duodenal switch.

Despite the increased complications of laparoscopic duodenal switch surgery and the difficulty in locating a surgeon trained to perform a biliopancreatic diversion with laparoscopic duodenal switch, this weight loss procedure remains one of the most effective forms of weight loss surgery. Because so much of the digestive tract is bypassed, duodenal switch patients are required to supplement their nutrition for the rest of their lives to avoid nutrient deficiencies that can lead to anemia or osteoporosis.

An interesting disadvantage of laparoscopic duodenal switch surgery is that oftentimes surgeons also remove a severely obese patient’s gallbladder. Many times the gallbladder is removed during a duodenal switch technique because of the increased risk of developing gallstones once the duodenal switch procedure has been performed.

A laparoscopic duodenal switch procedure is an effective weight loss surgery that alters the gastrointestinal tract in two different ways. First, the duodenal switch technique restricts the volume of the stomach pouch so that less food can be taken in by an individual. During a duodenal switch surgery, the larger curved side of the stomach is reduced so that the altered stomach volume is about one third its original size.

Additionally, laparoscopic duodenal switch works to aid weight loss by utilizing a maladaptive procedure to create two separate pathways as well as a single common pathway. In a biliopancreatic diversion with laparoscopic duodenal switch, food travels through the shorter pathway, directly to the large intestine. laparoscopic duodenal switch surgery also creates a longer pathway so that bile from the liver is diverted to the common path of the altered digestive tract.

In a laparoscopic duodenal switch, the two created pathways culminate in what is known as the common path. The duodenal switch technique allows ingested food to bypass much of the digestive tract so that less calories and fat can be absorbed by the body of the severely obese patient. Since food doesn’t pass through as much digestive fluid areas, the bile diversion portion of a duodenal switch serves to assist digestion of food.

In addition to the duodenal switch technique, there are many types of bariatric surgery with various correlating advantages and disadvantages. By talking with a medical professional you can best determine if duodenal switch or some other type of weight loss surgery is best for you and your individual needs.