Bilio-pancreatic bypass for obesity: 1. An experimental study in dogs

Bilio-pancreatic bypass is a new procedure that tries to obtain a maldigestion syndrome with selective malabsorption of the main high calorie foods. The operation consists of a gastric resection and division of the proximal jejunum just distal to the ligament of Treitz. A gastroentero-anastomosis is then constructed using the distal end of the transected jejunum, while the proximal jejunum is anastomosed to the side of the distal ileum. An experimental study carried out on 12 dogs confirmed that the operation causes a selective malabsorption with loss of weight and no complications. On the basis of this study it is suggested that this procedure has the following advantages over jejuno-ileal bypass: (a) normal absorption of bile salts, water and electrolytes; (b) slow recovery of absorption; (c) absence of a blind loop.