Emergencies After Bariatric Surgery: The Role of Flexible Endoscopy and Interventional Radiology

Nowadays bariatric surgery is the most valid and safe method to treat severe cases of obesity that are refractory to the conventional restrictive dietary approaches. However, along with the increasing number of procedures performed, the incidence of post-bariatric surgery complications is also rising. The clinical and radiological work-up is difficult and variable, and treatment is both laparoscopic and endoscopic, with better efficacy and faster recovery with endoscopy. Unfortunately, there is still no clear evidence or guidelines that can help the physicians and surgeons to solve and manage the high rates of morbidity and mortality. In this chapter, the authors illustrate the most commonly adopted endoscopic and radiologic approaches and propose a therapeutic algorithm for post-bariatric surgical complications.