A rare long-term complication in a patient with gastric bypass: remnant gastric perforation

Abstract

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), one of the most frequently performed operations within the scope of bariatric surgery, creates a remnant stomach containing the fundus, corpus and antrum where gastric acid and pepsinogen are synthesized in significant amounts. Although rare complications such as bleeding, perforation and ischemia occur regarding the remnant stomach. A 47-year-old male patient who was operated on for open RYGB 10 years ago was admitted to the emergency department with complaints of abdominal pain and deterioration in his general condition. The patient who had widespread tenderness in the abdomen was unstable on physical examination. It was observed that the remnant stomach was perforated 2.2 cm from the anterior surface of the corpus at emergency laparotomy after defining the upper gastrointestinal anatomy with the aid of peroperative endoscopy. The patient whose remnant stomach was resected was discharged uneventfully on the 5th postoperative day. The approach to remnant gastric perforations due to benign causes is the same as for gastric perforations. Laparotomy is indicated in unstable patients.