Laparoscopic conversion of failed vertical banded gastroplasty to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or biliopancreatic diversion.

BACKGROUND

The Silastic ring vertical gastroplasty (SRVG), a modification of Mason's vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG), was the restrictive procedure of choice for many bariatric surgeons. The reoperation rate for failure/complications reported in long-term studies is approximately 50%.

OBJECTIVE

We report our experience in laparoscopic conversion of failed SRVG to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and biliopancreatic diversion (BPD).

SETTING

A single surgeon's experience at a university-affiliated hospital.

METHODS

Between March 2006 and April 2014, 39 patients underwent conversion of SRVG to laparoscopic RYGB (n = 25) or BPD (n = 14). The outcomes were retrieved from a prospectively collected database and analyzed.

RESULTS

Most (89%) of the conversions were completed laparoscopically. The mean operative time was 195 and 200 min for RYGB and BPD, respectively. There was no mortality. Complications occurred in 11 patients (28%), 5 in RYGB (19%) and 6 in BPD (42%). At the 3-year follow-up, the mean body mass index decreased from 47±8 kg/m(2) to 26±4 kg/m(2) for BPD, and from 43 kg/m(2) to 34 kg/m(2) (P = .05) for RYGB. Weight (kg) decreased from 110 to 84 and to 92, and from 123 to 81 and 68, at 1 and 3 years for RYGB and BPD, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The weight loss for RYGB and BPD was equal at 1 year but tended to be better for BPD at 3 years postoperatively. Laparoscopic conversion of failed VBG to RYGB or BPD was feasible, but it was followed by prohibitively high complication rates in BPD patients. The risk:benefit ratio of these procedures in this series is questionable.