Our experience in patients selection for bariatric surgery

Abstract

AIM OF THE STUDY: TO evaluate the parameters applied in Authors’ experience for the selection of candidates undergoing bariatric surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis has been performed of 447 patients who underwent bariatric surgery from December 1998 to December 2006 at the 1st Service of General Surgery of Spedali Civili of Brescia – Abdominal Surgical Department of University of Study of Brescia; 317 patients underwent a malabsorpitive procedure, 35 a gastrorestrictive procedure and 10 had a conversion from a gastrorestrictive procedure to a malabsorpitive one.

RESULTS: At 7 years of follow-up the Authors observed that the excess weight loss was 74.1 %± 6.2 for malabsorpitive procedures and 42.3% ± 2.6 for gastrorestictive procedures. At 2 years of follow-up a progressive weight resumption was observed in the 20% of patients who had a gastrorestictive procedures.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Optimal clinical outcome were achieved confirming the belief that a strict and rigorous selection of the patients and the applied therapeutic algorithm have to be followed; thoug even more selective criteria can be suggested such as the preventive BIB. The clinical results supported our preference of malabsorpitive procedures (317 of 352 surgical performances, excepting the 10 conversions with an obliged surgical choice).