VBG versus RNY

[Guest guest]

While I was putting the finishing touches on the research into vitamin

and mineral supplements, I reread the article Weight Loss and Dietary

Intake After Vertical Banded Gastroplastry and Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass,

Brolin D, et al, Annuals of Surgery, Vol 220, No 6, 782-790, 1994.

These are two sections that are of particular note.

" Loss of 50% of the excess weight is defined as the minimum criterion

for successful weight loss in several previous reports of bariatric

operations. In the current series, only 40% of patients who had VBG

lost more than 50% of their excess weight, where as 92% of the patients

who had RYGB lost this much weight, " p 788.

and

" The superior long-term weight loss, coupled with a lower incidence

serious late complications, clearly favor RYGB in the treatment of

morbid obesity. On the basis of this study, we no longer recommend VBG

as primary treatment for patients with morbid obesity, " p 790.

Ray Hooks