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Complications in Bariatric Surgery pp 123–137Cite as

Chronic Abdominal Pain After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

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Abstract

The surgical and physiologic construct of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) leads to a unique set of potential complications that require routine follow-up by an experienced bariatric surgeon. Chronic abdominal pain after RYGB is particularly challenging and often requires thoughtful workup and possible surgical intervention. Patient history and physical examinations must be thorough, confirmed with radiographic imaging to support the diagnosis. Most common causes of abdominal pain after surgery include internal hernia, marginal ulcers, and adhesions causing intermittent bowel obstructions. Less frequent pathologies such as intussusception at the jejunojejunostomy, suture bezoars, candy cane (afferent limb) deformity, biliary pathology, and remnant gastritis can present with less obvious and consistent symptoms. Often, radiographic and endoscopic evaluations will be negative. Therefore, surgeons should have a low threshold for exploring post-RYGB patients for abdominal pain.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco-Fresno, Fresno, CA, USA

    Pearl Ma & Kelvin Higa

  2. Fresno Heart and Surgical Hospital, Fresno, CA, USA

    Pearl Ma & Kelvin Higa

Authors
  1. Pearl Ma
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  2. Kelvin Higa
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA

    Diego Camacho

  2. Department of General Surgery, FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA

    Natan Zundel

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Ma, P., Higa, K. (2018). Chronic Abdominal Pain After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass. In: Camacho, D., Zundel, N. (eds) Complications in Bariatric Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75841-1_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75841-1_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-75841-1

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