Review of Duodenal Switch

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Surgery/...urgery/tb/4162 Review CHICAGO, Sept. 22 -- For "super-obese" patients, biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch appears to achieve better weight loss than Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, found researchers here. Super-obese patients have a body mass index (BMI) of at least 50 kg/m2, reported Vivek N. Prachand, M.D., of the University of Chicago, in the October issue of the Annals of Surgery. The percentage of excess body weight loss was consistently better for duodenal switch than the more commonly performed Roux-en-Y bypass over three years of follow-up, said Dr. Prachand. In addition, there was better total weight loss and decrease in BMI. The 198 patients with super obesity who underwent duodenal switch lost significantly more excess body weight at one year (64.1% versus 55.9%), 18 months (71. 9% versus 62.8%), two years (71.6% versus 60.1%), and three years (68.9% versus 54.9%, all P