Animal models in bariatric surgery--a review of the surgical techniques and postsurgical physiology

Bariatric surgery is considered the most effective current treatment for morbid obesity. Since the first publication of an article by Kremen, Linner, and Nelson, many experiments have been performed using animal models. The initial experiments used only malabsorptive procedures like intestinal bypass which have largely been abandoned now. These experimental models have been used to assess feasibility and safety as well as to refine techniques particular to each procedure. We will discuss the surgical techniques and the postsurgical physiology of the four major current bariatric procedures (namely, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy, and biliopancreatic diversion). We have also reviewed the anatomy and physiology of animal models. We have reviewed the literature and presented it such that it would be a reference to an investigator interested in animal experiments in bariatric surgery. Experimental animal models are further divided into two categories: large mammals that include dogs, cats, rabbits, and pig and small mammals that include rats and mice.