Increased arterial-tissue cholesterol after intestinal bypass in severe obesity

Cholesterol content was measured in biopsy specimens of mesenteric artery taken at the time of jejuno-ileal bypass from 4 very obese patients aged 19, 22, 27, and 42. When their body-weight had become stable (mean 22 months) after operation, biopsy specimens of the temporal artery were obtained from 3 patients and of a mesenteric artery from 1. Cholesterol content had increased significantly. The increase in arterial-tissue cholesterol was concomitant with decreases in serum high-density (H.D.L.) and low-density (L.D.L.) lipoprotien cholesterol.