Pyloroplasty

What is a pyloroplasty?

A pyloroplasty is a surgery that is performed to help the stomach empty foods more easily. 

During the surgery:

The surgeon cuts into the pyloric sphincter, which basically makes a larger opening at the bottom of the stomach and helps the muscles to relax. The pyloric sphincter is the muscle that helps regulate the emptying of food from the stomach into the small bowel. The idea behind this procedure is that gravity may help the stomachy digest food more easily. 

After the procedure:

The patient will be given IV fluids and remain in the hospital for approximately 6-8 days. Full recovery is expected within 4-6 weeks.

Complications:

The biggest complication of this procedure includes the potential to develop dumping sydrome, a condition in which the pyloric sphincter is damaged and empties food too quickly into the small bowel. Rather than regulate the rate at which food digests, the stomach will often "dump" a large amount of food into the small bowel all at once. This results in the pancreas excreting too much insulin at once and results in heart palpitations, sweating, fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, low blood pressure, diarrhea, syncope, excessive hunger, hypoglycemia, and even shock. A patient may feel like he/she has run a marathon after eating.

There are two forms of dumping syndrome: early and late. Some people have one, while others have both. It can be treated with diet changes. However, when the dumping is severe patients may need certain drugs, such as octreotide/sandostatin, or possibly surgery to correct the problem. Octreotide is a successful treatment option is most cases.