Endoscopic gastrojejunostomy revision is more effective than medical management alone to address weight regain after RYGB

Abstract

Background: Weight regain after bariatric roux-en-y gastric bypass affects up to 30% of individuals. Revisional surgery is risky, and is typically avoided in favor of dietary and psychological management. Endoscopic gastrojejunostomy revision is a low-morbidity, outpatient procedure that may be more effective than medical management alone for regain after gastric bypass. Methods: Two patient cohorts were retrospectively assembled. Both groups had gastric bypass, regained weight, and were cleared for revision by their surgeon, dietician, and psychologist. The revision group underwent the procedure, and the no-revision group did not, typically due to insurance issues. Weights from pre-bypass to 2 years post-revision, obesity-related comorbidities, and intraoperative factors were collected and analyzed. Results: There were 41 patients included in the revision group and 14 in the no-revision group. Up to the time of revision procedure, body mass index, and % excess weight loss between groups were similar. After revision, the groups diverged over a 2-year period, with improvement seen in the revision group and worsening in the no-revision group. The revision group showed overall improvement in comorbidities compared to the no-revision group. Analysis of intraoperative factors suggests that gastric pouch restriction in addition to stoma diameter reduction may promote weight loss. Conclusions: In this retrospective study, endoscopic revision provided significantly greater weight loss compared to medical management alone. Results show that revision can help resolve obesity-related comorbidities. Analysis of intraoperative factors suggests that pouch reduction at time of stoma revision may improve weight loss.