The surgical treatment of obesity

Surgery for obesity has developed continuously since it was introduced in 1956. The early idea of small intestinal bypass has been refined to the point that the majority of surgeons agree that about 45 cm of small bowel should be left in continuity, 30 cm of jejunum and 15 cm of ileum. Providing care is taken to given dietary supplements plus a high protein, low fat, low oxalate and high calcium diet, together with a ready response to severe liver damage by treatment of bacterial infection in the bypassed loop, this operation or one of its variants appears to be reasonably safe. But it is nevertheless followed by significant and undesirable side effects. Wiring the jaw is effective in producing weight loss and has the advantage of simplicity and cheapness. Unfortunately when the suffer is released weight is gained in all cases. Gastric operations designed to reduce the size of the proximal stomach to a paltry 50 ml are of two types--gastric bypass in which the small and otherwise closed pouch is drained into the small bowel and gastroplasty in which a 9 mm stoma drains the pouch into the distal stomach. There is much to commend gastroplasty and reports so far do not indicate such a large number of late complications as with jejuno-ileal bypass. This surely is where the future of surgery in this condition lies.