Biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) is a malabsorptive procedure in which the lower portion (three-fourths) of the stomach is removed and the small pouch that remains is stapled directly to the small intestine. The biliopancreatic diversion greatly reduces nutrient absorption and caloric intake, but is used less often than adjustable gastric banding and gastric bypass (described below), because it entails a high risk of nutritional deficiency, as well as higher operative complications and death rates.
3. Combined Restrictive/Malabsorptive Procedures
These are the most commonly used weight loss procedures in the United States because of their longer history in this country. They restrict the amount of food you can eat and reduce the amount of calories the body absorbs.
In a gastric bypass (also known as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass), the surgeon creates a small stomach pouch that can hold only limited amounts of food. Then a Y-shaped section of the small intestine is cut and attached (usually by stapling) to the pouch to allow food to bypass the lower stomach entirely and the first two sections of the small intestine. This reduces the amount of calories and nutrients the body can absorb.
