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The Impact of Roux Limb Length on Weight Loss After Gastric Bypass

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Abstract

Background

Extending the length of the Roux limb (RL) in gastric bypass (GBP) may improve weight loss in super obese patients (body mass index [BMI] > 50 kg/m2), but no consensus exists about the optimal length of the RL. We sought to determine the impact of RL length on weight loss in super obese patients 1 year after GBP.

Materials and Methods

One-year weight loss outcomes were analyzed in all super obese patients who underwent consecutive and primary laparoscopic or open GBP between January 2003 and June 2006. Patients were divided into two groups according to RL length (100 vs. 150 cm). The RL length was at the discretion of the attending surgeon. Baseline and follow-up data were collected prospectively. Multiple linear regression was used to adjust for potential confounders in the weight loss outcomes.

Results

Twelve-month follow-up data were available in 137 (85%) of 161 patients with a BMI ≥ 50 who underwent GBP during the study period. An RL of 100 or 150 cm was used in 102 (74.5%) and 35 patients (25.5%), respectively. In multivariate analysis, patients with the 150-cm RL lost more weight (68.5 vs. 55.3 kg, p < 0.01), had a greater change in BMI (25 vs. 21 kg/m2, p = 0.01), and had greater excess weight loss (64 vs. 53%, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

A 150-cm RL provides better weight loss outcomes in super obese patients at 1-year follow-up.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Pamela Derish for the editorial review of this manuscript. This work was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health through the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, Grant, 8 K12 RR023262.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bariatric Surgery Program, Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, 521 Parnassus Avenue, C-341, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0790, USA

    Ruxandra Ciovica, Mark Takata, Andrew M. Posselt, Charlotte Rabl & Guilherme M. Campos

  2. Department of Surgery, Private Medical University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria

    Hubert J. Stein

  3. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Eric Vittinghoff & Feng Lin

Authors
  1. Ruxandra Ciovica
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  2. Mark Takata
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  3. Eric Vittinghoff
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  4. Feng Lin
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  5. Andrew M. Posselt
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  6. Charlotte Rabl
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  7. Hubert J. Stein
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  8. Guilherme M. Campos
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Correspondence to Guilherme M. Campos.

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Ciovica, R., Takata, M., Vittinghoff, E. et al. The Impact of Roux Limb Length on Weight Loss After Gastric Bypass. OBES SURG 18, 5–10 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-007-9312-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-007-9312-y

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