Gastric Bypass: Late Complications
In 10-20% cases, incisional hernias may occur after open gastric bypass. These are far less frequent after laparoscopic gastric bypass and occur in less than 1% cases. This may require additional surgery for correction.
The connection between the stomach and the small bowel may become narrow in about 5-10% of the cases. This generally becomes evident after 4-8 weeks of surgery. An endoscope is generally used to gently dilate this.
In some cases, the intestines may get blocked on account of scar tissue. This takes place more often in the case of open gastric bypass than in that of laparoscopic surgery.
In about 2% of the cases, the patients may develop an ulcer in the first part of the Roux limb after surgery. These ulcers may cause bleeding in some cases and are a source of pain, generally.
From about 3 to 6 months after their surgery, patients often notice that they are losing a lot of hair in the shower. However, this hair loss is not very likely to be noticeable by other people. Also, this is likely to stop after several weeks, and most of the lost hair usually grows back.
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