Single Anastomosis Gastric Bypass-Comparative Short-Term Outcome Study of Conversional and Primary Procedures.

BACKGROUND: Single anastomosis gastric bypass (SAGB) has been established as a safe and effective bariatric procedure. SAGB has also been suggested as a conversion option from other procedures, but so far not extensively explored in that direction. METHODS: The study retrospectively reviewed and analyzed 154 consecutive SAGB procedures, including 48 conversional SAGB (cSAGB) and 106 primary SAGB (pSAGB). Preoperative physical dimensions and perioperative complications were obtained. Patients were followed 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively, with weight measurements compared between groups. RESULTS: Operative times were longer in the cSAGB group but length of hospital stay was the same for both groups. Sixty-five percent of the cSAGB group had adjustable banding as a primary operation, and 94 % opted for conversion due to insufficient weight loss or regain thereof. Follow-up data availability was 98, 82, and 79 % for the three checkpoints. Three and 6 months postoperatively, cSAGB had inferior mean excess weight loss (EWL) compared to pSAGB, though both groups were successful after 6 months (mean EWL >50 %). Body mass index loss was significantly higher for pSAGB for the first postoperative 3 months. Low complication rates in both groups precluded statistical comparison in that respect. DISCUSSION: Initial weight loss after conversional SAGB is inferior to primary SAGB after 6 months. The observed safety of cSAGB is comparable to previous evidence for this procedure in the conversional settings. CONCLUSION: SAGB may be considered as a safe and effective conversional procedure, but not as effective as pSAGB for initial weight loss.

Non-invasive therapy of wrinkles and lax skin using a novel multisource phase-controlled radio frequency system.

Abstract The last few years have shown an increased demand for non-invasive skin tightening to improve body contour. Since light (lasers or intense pulsed light sources) has a limited ability to penetrate deep into the tissue, radio frequency (RF) modalities were introduced for the reduction of lax skin to achieve skin tightening and body circumference reduction. This study presents the use of the novel 3DEEP technology for body contouring. 3DEEP is a next generation RF technology that provides targeted heating to deeper skin layers without pain or other local or systemic side effects associated with the use of the earlier generation RF systems available today. The study included 30 treatment areas on 23 healthy volunteers at two sites. The treatment protocol included four weekly and two bi-weekly (n= 6) treatments on different body areas. Results were evaluated by standardized photography and by circumference measurements at the treatment area, and were compared to changes in body weight. Significant improvement could be observed in wrinkles and skin laxity, and in the appearance of stretch marks and cellulite. Some changes appeared as early as after a single treatment. Circumference changes of up to 4.3 cm were measured.