Revisional Surgery for Insufficient Loss or Regain of Weight After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: Biliopancreatic Limb Length Matters

Weight regain after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) occurs in up to 35% of patients. Revisional surgery may be applied. Conversion from RYGB to a long biliopancreatic limb (BPL) RYGB is a potential option for revisional surgery and short-term results are promising. All patients who underwent conversion to long BPL RYGB due to weight loss failure, defined as excess weight loss (EWL) 35 kg/m2, were assessed. Proximal RYGB or very very long limb RYGB (VVLL RYGB) was modified by shortening of the total alimentary limb length (TALL) to create a long BPL. A total of 28 patients received revisional surgery from either PRYGB (n = 22) or VVLL RYGB (n = 6). Mean age at operation was 45.3 ± 10.4 years, with 78% females. Mean prerevisional BMI was 41.7 ± 4.4 kg/m2. Mean time to revision was 76.5 ± 38.5 months. Limb lengths were 150 cm (95% CI 133–156 cm) for RL and 100 cm (95% CI 97–113 cm) for CC, thus providing a total median alimentary limb length of 250 (95% CI 238–260 cm). Additional %EWL and TWL improved significantly in long-term. Five years postoperatively, all patients (n = 9) had an EWL% > 50%. Six patients (21.4%) required reoperation due to severe malnutrition during the postoperative course. Conversion from RYGB to BPL RYGB leads to significant additional weight loss in the long term. However, the morbidity is relevant, especially severe protein malnutrition and the frequency of revisional surgery. Therefore, this type of surgery should not be done routinely.