Weight-Loss Surgery Options Compared in Super-Obese TUESDAY June
2, 2009 -- A technique called duodenal switch surgery may be
more effective than gastric bypass surgery for patients with
obesity-related medical problems such as high cholesterol,
diabetes and high blood pressure, according to a U.S. study that
included 350 super-obese patients who were more than 200 pounds
heavier than their ideal body weight. The findings were
presented Monday at Digestive Disease Week 2009 in Chicago.In
gastric bypass surgery, surgeons create a small gastric pouch
that's separate from the rest of the stomach, but with duodenal
switch surgery, the stomach is reshaped into a long narrow tube
and the small intestine is reconfigured to reduce calorie
absorption, according to a Digestive Disease Week news release.
In their new study, Dr. Vivek N. Prachand, an assistant
professor of surgery at the University of Chicago, and
colleagues looked at the rates of resolution of obesity-related
diseases (whether patients were able to stop