Clinical experience with biliopancreatic bypass and gastrectomy or selective vagotomy for morbid obesity

In 1980 Scopinaro described biliopancreatic bypass for the treatment of obesity. This procedure was aimed at selective malabsorption. The authors used Scopinaro's procedure in 33 patients, but in 17 they modified it by doing selective vagotomy with closure of the duodenum in continuity instead of a subtotal gastrectomy. Eighteen months after the operation, 88% of the patients had what the authors considered was a good to excellent result, that is a loss of more than 25% of the patient's initial weight. Morbidity of many kinds was encountered but most was self-limiting or easily corrected by medical means. From their experience the authors conclude that biliopancreatic bypass as a procedure for the treatment of morbid obesity should continue to be performed and evaluated.