Results of jejunoileal bypass in two hundred patients with morbid obesity

Two hundred massively obese patients were submitted to four variations of jejunoileal bypass during the last decade. The operative mortality rate was 2.5 per cent. Nonfatal postoperative complications occurred in patients who had the small intestine shortened to 18 to 20 inches by end-to-end jejunoileostomy. In follow-up periods up to ten years, there have been nine late fatalities, five of which were unrelated to jejunoileal bypass. Despite late complications which have included renal stones, enterohepatic syndrome and ventral hernia, 66 per cent of the survivors have achieved good results by the criteria used. Metabolic improvements include a profound and sustained reduction in plasma concentrations of cholesterol and triglyceride.