Question:
Distal RNY vs lap RNY---do you lose faster with the open procedure?

   — Bobbie Byers (posted on December 28, 2005)

December 27, 2005
No they are the 'same' inside. The only difference is your sugery recovery time.
   — star .

December 27, 2005
Distal referrs to the amount of intestines bypassed and lap referres to how the procedure is performed. They are very different. As for losing faster with open vs lap, there is no difference in the bypass surgery itself, just the fact that the skin on your tummy is cut more.
   — RebeccaP

December 27, 2005
"Distal and proximal" are the terms used for the length of intestine that is bypassed. This length is determined by the surgeon, not the patient. Lap is Laprascopic surgery versus Open, which is traditional type surgery with a scalpel. Lap and Open result in the same surgery, just the access is different. There are varying points of view......one surgeon I know of only performs open. He prefers seeing the organs up close and personal to determine their status. My Dr. performs Lap and Open.....with the understanding that if he cannot finish the job Lap, he will complete it Open. I am thankful to have the job done!
   — LauraA

December 28, 2005
Lap or open loss rate the same. Although opens get incisional hernias at a 33% rate, where LAP its near zero.
   — bob-haller

December 28, 2005
lap is state of the art,for any kind of surgery, be it the knee, gall blader,kidney, heart, apendix, brain, or bariatrix, it means doing the surgery with tools as hands while viewing thru a laproscope, very small incisions, less sutures,less exposure to air, but tricky,require skill ,special tools,and time.
   — walter A.

December 29, 2005
A RNy lap can be either distal or proximal. Lap surgery just means you had it done laperoscopically (the doc uses a scope to look inside and does not cut as much, while the open means that he makes a large incision that opens up to allow him to view the area, and so you have a bigger scar and much longer recovery time. The lap procedure is better if you can get it, but they are the same surgery otherwise! Good lluck.
   — Novashannon