Gastroplasty conversion to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass at the lesser curvature due to weight loss failure.

From January 1982 to April 1984, 20 patients with lesser curvature gastroplasty had conversion to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass at the lesser curvature for failure to lose more than 50 per cent of excess body weight within 12 months of the original gastroplasty. The average excess weight of these patients before gastroplasty was 103 lb, and the average excess weight before conversion to gastric bypass was 73 lb. The average weight loss after gastric bypass was doubled within 6 to 15 months. Only one patient failed to lose weight after conversion to gastric bypass, and this patient had endocrine problems. Late surgical complications occurred in two patients (10%); one had cholecystectomy and the other had vagotomy and hiatus hernia repair. There were no mortalities in this series.