title: Abdominal pain after gastric bypass: suspects and solutions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gastric bypass remains the mainstay of surgical therapy for obesity. Abdominal pain after gastric bypass is common and accounts for up to half of all postoperative complaints and emergency room visits. This article reviews the most important causes of abdominal pain specific to gastric bypass and discusses management considerations.
  
  
  METHODS
  The current surgical literature was reviewed using PubMed, with a focus on abdominal pain after gastric bypass and the known pathologies that underlie its pathogenesis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The etiologies of abdominal pain after gastric bypass are diverse. A thorough understanding of their pathogenesis impacts favorably on clinical outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The differential diagnosis for abdominal pain after gastric bypass is large and includes benign and life-threatening entities. Its diverse causes require a broad evaluation that should be directed by history and clinical presentation. In the absence of a clear diagnosis, the threshold for surgical exploration in patients with abdominal pain after gastric bypass should be low.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239-3098, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Greenstein
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: O'Rourke
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D015390:Gastric Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000601:surgery*; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*