Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch - Obesity Surgery Guide


This is still a highly complex procedure which is far less commonly performed than the gastric bypass or other weight loss surgical procedures.  It still combines a ‘two for one approach and is designed to be both restrictive and malabsorptive. 

The process is still the same as the standard biliopancreatic diversion but with only a couple of differences.  In the first instance the surgeon will leave a larger stomach pouch. In both cases, the opening from the stomach to the small intestine – the pyloric valve is also left intact.  This is important as it controls the release of food from the stomach to the small intestine.

In the second instance, the surgeon will also leave a small section at the start of the small intestine.  This first part is called the duodenum which is where the ‘duodenal switch’ part comes in.  As food is consumed it travels down into the stomach where it is broken down by acids in the stomach before moving into the duodenum.  At the bottom of the small intestine or ‘common channel’ the food then mixes with digestive juices from the biliopancreatic branch.

This surgery can take around three to four hours to complete and because of this your surgeon may decide to perform it in two parts.

Due to this length of time the recovery process will take, on average, around three to four weeks. 

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