R Rutledge, MD
The Centers for Laparoscopic Obesity Surgery
As part of efforts as former chairman of the IFSO Varianational Committee on New Procedures we performed a survey of bariatric surgeons around the world. The goal was to assess expert surgical judgment of the risks, benefits and outcomes of various bariatic procedures. This paper reports survey expert opinion on the Mini-Gastric Bypass.
Methods: Email was used to canvas 1,800 IFSO members to complete a survey on the risks, benefits and outcomes of the Mini-Gastric Bypass. Surgeons that did not answer were repeatedly email x 5 times. 102 surgeons answered detailed survey online. Surgeons came from 6 Continents and 23 countries. The group reported on a past year’s experience with over 39,000 cases, so these were clearly very experienced surgeons.
Results: The results of this survey can be summarized as: in the judgment of these experienced bariatric surgeons the MGB is short, effective bariatric procedure with minimal morbidity and excellent weight loss. We asked the surgeons 105 questions some of which are described below:
Yearly case load: 100-300 cases, 93% requested copies of the survey and 60% asked for anonymity. When asked their opinions about the MGB surgeons were given three scenario: 92.1% of responders predicted the best outcomes for MGB “90% did well, 5% had complications and 5% regained weight.” When asked the same question about the band, sleeve and the RNY, respondents predicted the best outcomes in 7.4%, 60.9% and 76.8% respectively.
85.4% said that MGB patients routinely get get major weight loss, 71.8% said that MGB patients rarely suffer from long term complications, 85.0% said that MGB patients rarely regain their weight. 87.5% disagreed with the statement “GE Reflux / Nausea & Vomiting is Common” in the MGB. 68.3% said that MGB patients vomit bile rarely and 84.6% of respondents disagreed with the statement that “I Fear that MGB patients can have an increased risk of gastric cancer from bile reflux.”
In summary this small sample of expert bariatric surgeons the MGB was judged as a good or excellent choice for bariatric surgery and generally provides the MGB with strongly positive reviews. This international group of bariatric experts from 6 continents and 23 countries judged the MGB as a short simple effective durable bariatric procedure. In most questions the MGB was judged significantly better than similar assessments of the Band, Sleeve and the RNY. This study suggests that there is a deep reservoir of knowledge and experience that has here to fore been untapped that may assist surgeons and their patients in making good decisions about weight loss surgery.
Session: Poster Presentation
Program Number: P410
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