Horizontal gastroplasty with Roux en Y anastomosis in morbidly obese patients. Preliminary results

Background: Morbidly obese subjects have a high incidence of complications. The poor results of dietary treatments, has prompted the search of new the rapies for obesity and among these, surgical procedures. Aim: To report the long term results of horizontal gastroplasty with Roux en Y anastomosis in morbidly obese subjects. Patients and methods: Fifty patients with an init ial body mass index of 41.3 +/- 6 kg/m(2) have been subjected to a horizont al gastroplasty with Roux en Y anastomosis. During the study period, surgic al techniques were modified, reducing the gastric pouch size, adding a trun cal vagotomy, cholecystectomy, and increasing the length of the Roux en Y l oop from 70 to 100 cm. Twenty five patients have been followed for two year s. Results: There was no operative mortality and one patient had an anastom otic leak that required 35 days of hospitalization. During follow up, in on e patient, the stapled suture line loosened. After two years of follow up, weight decreased from 112 +/- 19 to 77.2 +/- 14 kg. Conclusions: Horizontal gastroplasty with Roux en Y anastomosis achieved an adequate weight loss w ith a low rate of complications in this group of morbidly obese subjects.