Four-year weight loss Roux-Y gastric bypass: anastomotic reinforcement not additive.

There were 133 morbidly obese patients who received a Roux-Y gastric bypass in which a 12-mm gastrojejunostomy was sutured with multifilament steel (72 patients) for reinforcement or with interrupted silk (61 patients). Weight loss through 4 years was not different between the two patient groups. Moreover, weight loss in patients whose gastric stomas enlarged up to 16 mm was not different from those in whom the stomas remained at 12 mm. Stoma reinforcement with noncompliant steel did not add to long-term weight loss.