Dose response for argon plasma coagulation in the treatment of weight regain after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Argon plasma coagulation (APC) of gastrojejunal anastomosis (GJA) is effective in treating weight regain after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). This study aims to compare the efficacy of different APC settings for treating weight regain. METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective study of patients who had undergone RYGB and then underwent APC from 2014 to 2018 for weight regain. Patients receiving only low-dose APC (45-55 W) or high-dose APC (70-80 W) were compared. The primary outcome was the difference in percentage total weight loss (% TWL) between the groups at 6 and 12 months after the last treatment. Secondary outcomes were technical success, adverse events (AEs), and predictors of weight loss at 12 months. RESULTS: Two hundred seventeen patients met the inclusion criteria and underwent 411 APC sessions. Of these, 116 (53.5%) patients underwent 267 low-dose APC sessions (2.4 ± 1.5 sessions/patient) and 101 (46.5%) patients underwent 144 high-dose APC sessions (1.4 ± 0.7 sessions/patient). Follow-up rates were 82.9% and 75.3% at 6 and 12 months. At 6 months, the low- and high-dose groups experienced 7.3% ± 6.6% and 8.1% ± 7.4% TWL, respectively (P = .41). At 12 months, the low- and high-dose groups experienced 5.1% ± 8.5% and 9.7% ± 10.0% TWL, respectively (P = .008). Technical success was 100%. The overall AE rate was 8.0%; the most common AE was GJA stenosis (4.6%). The GJA stenosis rate was similar for the low- and high-dose groups (3.0% vs 7.6%, P = .06). High-dose APC remained a significant predictor of greater weight loss at 1 year after controlling for confounders. CONCLUSION: APC is effective at treating weight regain after RYGB, and higher-watt APC was associated with greater weight loss.

Impact of Oral-Cecal Transit Time on the Interpretation of Lactulose Breath Tests After RYGB: a Personalized Approach to the Diagnosis of SIBO.

BACKGROUND: Traditionally, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is diagnosed when there is an early peak in breath hydrogen or methane. Given unclear intestinal transit time in Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) patients, it is unknown if the traditional approach at diagnosing SIBO is adequate in this patient population. AIM: To assess oral-cecal transit time (OCTT) and its impact on the interpretation of breath tests in the diagnosis of SIBO in patients with RYGB. METHODS: This study was a retrospective review of prospectively collected data on RYGB patients who underwent testing for SIBO using lactulose breath test (LBT) with or without small bowel follow-through (SBFT) to assess OCTT. Outcomes of SIBO test based on LBT alone versus LBT with OCTT were compared using a chi-squared test. RESULTS: Sixty-two of the 151 RYGB patients who underwent LBT underwent an additional SBFT to assess OCTT. Median OCTT was 60 min. Of these, 59.7% had OCTT shorter than 90 min. Based on LBT alone, 36/62 patients (58.1%) were classified as positive SIBO. When LBT results were combined with OCTT, 26/36 patients (72.2%) had hydrogen or methane rise within OCTT, suggesting 27.8% false positive rate. Patients with true positive SIBO based on LBT and OCTT had a higher response rate to antibiotics compared to those with false positive SIBO (78.3% vs. 33.3%, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: A personalized approach of combining LBT with SBFT to assess OCTT may improve the accuracy of SIBO testing and enhance clinical outcomes in patients with RYGB.