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Stomach surgery in Tijuana
Gastric surgery for complicated ulcer, bleeding that will not stop, perforation, gastric outlet obstruction and gastric tumours, laparoscopic or open according to the case.
What of the stomach is operated on today
Gastric surgery changed profoundly over recent decades. Many ulcers used to be operated on; today, with treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection and proton-pump inhibitors, the great majority of ulcers heal with medication and never see an operating theatre.
What is operated on are their complications — perforation, bleeding not controlled at endoscopy, gastric outlet obstruction from scarring — and gastric tumours, benign and malignant. Added to those are the procedures on the stomach that form part of anti-reflux and bariatric surgery, described on their own pages.
The ulcer and its complications
A perforated peptic ulcer is a clear surgical emergency: it produces sudden severe abdominal pain, a rigid abdomen and free air visible on plain film or CT. Treatment is surgical, with closure of the defect and washout of the cavity, increasingly often laparoscopically.
Bleeding from an ulcer is treated first by endoscopy, which can both diagnose and stop it. Surgery enters when bleeding is not controlled endoscopically, when it recurs or when the patient deteriorates. And gastric outlet obstruction, a consequence of repeated scarring, requires a procedure that restores emptying of the stomach.
The gastric tumour
Gastric cancer is diagnosed by endoscopy with biopsy and staged with CT. Surgery consists of gastrectomy — subtotal or total according to the tumour's location — with adequate lymphadenectomy and reconstruction of the digestive tract.
Here, as in all cancer surgery, the margin and the number of nodes examined are not technical details: they determine whether the operation met its objective. Treatment is almost always multidisciplinary, with medical oncology before or after surgery, and that is put to the patient from the outset, with the whole plan in view.
What the procedure involves
When it is indicated
- Perforated peptic ulcer, as a surgical emergency
- Ulcer bleeding not controllable at endoscopy
- Gastric outlet obstruction from scarring
- Gastric cancer with a surgical indication
- Benign gastric tumours and subepithelial lesions
- Complications of previous gastric surgery
Techniques and resources
- Laparoscopic tower
- Linear and circular staplers
- Supporting diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy
- Advanced energy sealing devices
- Intraoperative leak test
Frequently asked questions about stomach surgery
Almost certainly not. Gastritis is treated with medication, with eradication of Helicobacter pylori where present, and with changes of habit. Surgery enters only with complications — perforation, uncontrollable bleeding, obstruction — or with a tumour. If someone proposes operating on simple gastritis, seek a second opinion.
Yes, though it demands substantial adaptation. After total gastrectomy the digestive tract is reconstructed and the patient eats small, frequent portions, with lifelong vitamin B12 and other nutrient supplementation, and nutritional follow-up.
With persistent upper digestive symptoms, and without delay if there are red flags: unintended weight loss, difficulty swallowing, persistent vomiting, anaemia, VOMITING BLOOD OR BLACK STOOLS. Also with a family history of gastric cancer.
Bring your studies and settle the question
One consultation with your ultrasound or CT in hand is worth more than ten internet searches. Book by phone or through the form and you will be told what is there, what it means and what your options are.