Efficacy and Safety of Intragastric Balloon Therapy Compared to a Multidisciplinary Weight Loss Program (OPTIFAST) in a Real-World Population: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is a major global health problem associated with comorbidities such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Bariatric surgery is recognized to be the most effective weight loss intervention, but it is highly invasive and costly and can have serious side effects. Intragastric balloon (IGB) placement by endoscopy and hypocaloric diets are among a number of techniques that have been used in patients unsuitable for, or unwilling to undergo, obesity surgery. In this study, we compared the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of the hypocaloric OPTIFAST program (OPT) with endoscopic IGB placement for weight loss. METHODS: In this retrospective observational cohort propensity score-weighted comparison (performed May 2014 to December 2020), participants with a BMI of 30-55 kg/m2, aged 18-70 years, were randomized to OPT or IGB for 26 weeks, followed by a weight maintenance phase. Patients were matched according to age, gender, and BMI. The study outcomes were percentage excess body weight lost, total body weight lost (TBWL), and percentage TBWL (%TBWL). RESULTS: A total of 148 participants (75% of those randomized; 74 OPT, 74 IGB) made up the ITT population. Mean age was 44.1 ± 10.4 years, and the patients were predominantly female (77%). Baseline BMI was 44.1 ± 10.4 kg/m2. At 26 weeks, %TBWL in the OPT group was 19.6 ± 6.8% versus 11.9 ± 6.7% for IGB (p < 0.001). At 52 weeks, %TBWL for OPT was 18.2 ± 9.0% versus 12.0 ± 6.6% for IGB (p < 0.001). The OPT cohort also experienced significantly fewer adverse events compared with the IGB group. CONCLUSION: IGB placement and OPT induce clinically meaningful weight loss. However, OPT appears to induce clinically superior weight loss and has economic advantages through lower rates of complications and adverse events.

Remission of Food Addiction Does Not Induce Cross-Addiction after Sleeve Gastrectomy and Gastric Bypass: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The hypothesis of "cross-addiction" has never been validated, and numerous aspects speak against it. OBJECTIVES: To compare the differences between sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and gastric bypass (GB) procedures concerning cross-addiction. SETTING: Center for maximum care in Germany. METHODS: We performed a prospective analysis of patients undergoing SG or GB as the first surgical treatment for severe obesity. All patients completed validated questionnaires to evaluate food intake (Yale Food Addiction Scale, YFAS), alcohol intake (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), nicotine use (Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence), exercise (Exercise Addiction Inventory), drug addiction (20-item Drug Abuse Screening Test), and Internet use disorder (Internet Addiction Test) before the operation (T0) and 6 (T6) and 24 (T24) months postoperatively (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02757716). RESULTS: One hundred thirteen patients underwent SG (n = 68) or GB (n = 45). At the follow-up, 61% completed the questionnaires at T6 and 44% at T24. In the YFAS, the percentage of patients diagnosed with food addiction decreased from 69 to 10%, and the mean symptom count decreased from 3.52 ± 1.95 to 1.26 ± 0.99 at T24 (p < 0.0001); these values did not differ between the surgical groups (p = 0.784). No significant evidence of cross-addiction was observed for use of alcohol, nicotine, drugs, the Internet, or exercise in either surgical group. The percentage of patients with moderate nicotine dependence increased in the SG group (+8.9%) at T24, but this was not significant. CONCLUSION: In this single-center cohort study, surgery for obesity caused significant addiction remission regarding food but without inducing cross-addiction after 2 years. Importantly, no significant differences were seen between the SG and GB procedures.

The first case report of failed single-anastomosis-duodeno-ileal bypass converted to One anastomosis gastric bypass/Mini-gastric bypass.

INTRODUCTION: The established single-anastomosis-duodeno-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy (SADI-S) is based on a sleeve gastrectomy (SG) as the restrictive part of the procedure. Due to preserved pylorus, SG has the disadvantage of a high-pressure system with de novo or worsening of existing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). CASE PRESENTATION: A female patient presented herself due to protracted GERD and weight regain after multiple bariatric surgeries. At an initial weight of 158kg (BMI 62.5kg/m2) the patient underwent adjustable gastric banding in 2009. After band removal in slippage, the patient underwent SG at a weight of 135kg in 2012. Nine months after SG, SADI-S was performed as a malabsorptive second step procedure. After 32 months the patient suffered from severe GERD under proton pump inhibitor therapy. Actual weight was 107.9kg (BMI 42.7kg/m2). Upper endoscopy showed a hiatal hernia and esophagitis B and dorsal hiatoplasty was performed. After 6 months in still existing severe GERD and weight regain indication for laparoscopic conversion to One anastomosis gastric bypass/Mini-gastric bypass (OAGB/MGB) was given, aiming to reduce the high-pressure system of SG in a low-pressure system of OAGB/MGB. One year after revisional surgery reflux was reported to be only occasionally. Further weight loss was seen (91kg, BMI 36kg/m2, EWL 67.7%). CONCLUSION: SG as the restrictive part of SADI-S may lead to GERD and consequently to pathologic eating of "soft" calories, that defeats the operation and results in weight regain. OAGB/MGB might be a simple method to rescue such failed SADI-S patients.

The importance of the Edmonton Obesity Staging System in predicting postoperative outcome and 30-day mortality after metabolic surgery.

BACKGROUND: The Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS) is a more comprehensive measure of obesity-related diseases and predictor of mortality than body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference. Its application for the selection of obese patients for obesity surgery has been suggested. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether the EOSS can also be used in predicting postoperative outcome and 30-day mortality after metabolic surgery. SETTING: Center of maximum care in Germany METHODS: We collected data prospectively for patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB), or laparoscopic omega-loop gastric bypass (LOLGB). The data collected included preoperative EOSS score, gender, age, BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, co-morbidities, early postoperative complications, and 30-day mortality. RESULTS: A total of 534 patients were included. The mean BMI was 45.57 kg/m2 (range 35-64.5) for LRYGB patients (n = 168), 53.27 kg/m2 (range 35.1-82.1) for LSG patients (n = 282), and 49.42 kg/m2 (range 36-73.1) for LOLGB patients (n = 84). The total postoperative complication rate was 8.99%. The most common EOSS stage was 2 (70.6% of patients), followed by stages 3 (12.55%), 1 (11.61%), and 0 (5.06%). The postoperative complication rates after LRYGB, LSG, and LOLGB were 0% for EOSS 0 and 1.61% for EOSS 1. The postoperative complication rates were 8.22% for EOSS 2 and 22.39% for EOSS 3. CONCLUSION: Patients with EOSS≥3 have a higher risk of postoperative complications. Our data confirm that the EOSS is useful as a scoring system for the selection of obese patients before surgery and suggest that it may also be useful for presurgical stratification and risk assessment in clinical practice. Patients should be recommended for obesity surgery when their EOSS stage is 2 to prevent impairments associated with metabolic disease and to reduce the risk of postoperative complications.

Incidental finding of GIST during obesity surgery.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to review the incidence of incidental gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) in a cohort of morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), analyzing surgery indication, morbidity, and follow-up data. METHODS: All cases with incidental GISTs found were reviewed. RESULTS: Two thousand six hundred three patients underwent obesity surgery founding a gastric GIST in eight patients (incidence 0.31 %). Mean tumor size was 7.65 mm (range 2.5-13 mm) with the majority of the lesions located in the fundus of the stomach. All lesions had negative resection margins. At a mean follow-up of 30 months, all patients were disease-free. CONCLUSION: The long-term disease-free survival of 100 % in our study establishes laparoscopic wedge resection during RYGB and LSG as safe and effective in treating incidental gastric GISTs <2 cm.

Early post-operative complications: incidence, management, and impact on length of hospital stay. A retrospective comparison between laparoscopic gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) are the most common obesity surgeries. Their early complications may prolong hospital stay (HS). METHODS: Data for patients who underwent LRYGB and LSG in our clinic from 2009 through August 2012 were collected. Early post-operative complications prolonging HS (>5 days) were retrospectively analyzed, highlighting their relative incidence, management, and impact on length of HS. RESULTS: Sixty-six patients (4.9 %) after 1,345 LRYGB operations vs. 49 patients (7.14 %) after 686 LSG operations developed early complications. This difference is statistically significant (p = 0.039). Male gender percentage was significantly higher in complicated LSG group vs. complicated LRYGB group [23 patients (46.9 %) vs. 16 patients (24.2 %)] (p = 0.042). Mean BMI was significantly higher in the complicated LSG group (54.2 ± 8.3) vs. complicated LRYGB group (46.8 ± 5.7; p = 0.004). Median length of HS was not longer after complicated LSG compared with complicated LRYGB (11 vs. 10 days; p = 0.287). Leakage and bleeding were the most common complications after either procedure. Leakage rate was not higher after LSG (12 patients, 1.7 %) compared with LRYGB (22 patients, 1.6 %; p = 0.304). Bleeding rate was significantly higher after LSG (19 patients, 2.7 %) than after LRYGB (10 patients, 0.7 %; p = 0.004). Prolonged elevation of inflammatory markers was the most common presentation for complications after LSG (18 patients, 36.7 %) and LRYGB (31 patients, 46.9 %). CONCLUSIONS: LSG was associated with more early complications. This may be attributed to higher BMI and predominance of males in LSG group.

Failure of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy--further procedure?

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, the incidence of morbid obesity is increasing, and surgery is the only effective longterm treatment. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is associated with acceptable weight loss and reduced comorbidities. It is considered a safe procedure with sporadic complications. This publication aims to describe failures of LSG in terms of ineffective weight loss or early weight regain, and analyze secondary treatment options. METHODS: From October 2001 to December 2010, 937 patients underwent LSG in our department. Initially, all procedures were scheduled as a two-stage procedure (LSG followed by biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch). However, the second procedure was not performed in 64 patients (body mass index > 60 kg/m(2)). Since 2005, the frequency of second stage procedures after weight regain has been increasing; their outcome is analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 937 patients, 17 (1.8%) experienced staple line leakage. Mean time to first reintervention or endoscopic stent placement was 15.6 ± 22 days (range 2-78). From 2005 to 2010, 106 secondary procedures were performed. Insufficient weight loss or weight regain were the indications in 88 cases. Sixteen (15%) patients had severe gastroesophageal reflux which was resolved by Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Stenosis was observed in 2 (2.6%) patients, which required endoscopic dilatation and stent placement in one case and gastric bypass in the other. CONCLUSIONS: LSG is a feasible and popular bariatric procedure. Mortality (0.4%) was much higher than after gastric bypass (0.03%) and gastric banding (0%) The knowledge of potential complications and their management is crucial. All restrictive procedures require patient compliance, but increased food uptake after RYGB and LSG is common. Malabsorptive procedures are more effective for long-term weight loss. Duodenal switch and omega-loop gastric bypass are more efficient second stage procedures than re-sleeve or RYGB.

Impact of surgeon experience and buttress material on postoperative complications after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND: Sleeve gastrectomy is gaining popularity whether as a primary, staged or revisional operation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the perioperative safety and the learning curve for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of the prospectively collected data for all patients who underwent LSG for the treatment of morbid obesity at our institution from January 2003 to December 2008. RESULTS: Data from 230 consecutive patients [male 47%, female 53%; mean age 44.0 ± 10.0 years, mean preoperative body mass index (BMI) 56.7 ± 11.5 kg/m(2)], who were operated upon by three surgeons with different degrees of bariatric experience, were analyzed. There was no 30-day mortality, but there were two cases of late mortality (0.87%). Early complications were noted in 23 cases (10.0%), including 10 cases of leak (4.3%) and 10 cases of hemorrhage (4.3%). In 17 cases (7.4%) reoperations were performed. The rates of overall and major complications did not differ among surgeons or between early and late period of experience for the three surgeons; this trend held true individually and in subgroups. Overall, over the course of the learning curve, a significant decrease in operative time was noted. The only factor that was independently associated with complications was use of buttress material; the likelihood of complications was found to be 72% lower in patients in whom buttress material was used. CONCLUSIONS: LSG constitutes a potentially safe anti-obesity procedure with acceptable morbidity. Experience at the beginning can be discouraging, even for surgeons with advanced laparoscopic skills. LSG can be performed safely, with proper mentoring and in appropriate settings, even by less experienced bariatric surgeons. The use of staple-line reinforcement was associated with improved perioperative outcomes, and it should be considered in an attempt to decrease leaks.

Conversion of failed vertical banded gastroplasty to biliopancreatic diversion, a wise option.

BACKGROUND: Reoperations due to failures constitute an essential but challenging part of bariatric surgery practice today. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perioperative safety, efficacy, and postoperative quality of life in patients with biliopancreatic diversion (BPD), after failed vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG). METHODS: Twelve patients after failed or complicated VBG, eight females and four males, median age 45 years (range 39-52), median body mass index (BMI) 46.39 kg/m2 (range 25.89-69.37), who underwent conversion to BPD, were studied. RESULTS: Ten patients due to weight regain and two patients because of severe stenosis of the gastric pouch outlet were submitted in conversion to BPD. In eight (66.6%) patients the primary VBG had been followed by at least one revisional operation due to inadequate weight loss. The 10 patients after failed VBG, reached the lowest BMI recorded after VBG in just a year after BPD (p=0.721 for the comparison between the two time points). The two patients with stomal stenosis regained weight in the first six postoperative months and remain stable since then. Regarding safety, one major perioperative complication (gastrojejunostomy stenosis) occurred. At a median follow-up of 21 months (range 12-30) six complications have been documented, including a case of incisional hernia, four cases of pouch gastritis and a case of intractable iron-deficiency anemia. CONCLUSION: Our early results indicate that conversion of failed VBG to BPD is highly effective with acceptable morbidity. Our data show that the effect on weight is strongly dependent on the indication for the conversion. Conversion to BPD, in such a group of patients, is a wise alternative, since it may reduce operative risks.