Primary non-closure of mesenteric defects in laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: reoperations and intraoperative findings in 146 patients

American society for metabolic and bariatric surgery: intra-operative care pathway for minimally invasive Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

BACKGROUND

Clinical care pathways help guide and provide structure to clinicians and providers to improve healthcare delivery and quality. The Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Committee (QIPS) of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) has previously published care pathways for the performance of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) and pre-operative care of patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB).

OBJECTIVE

This current RYGB care pathway was created to address intraoperative care, defined as care occurring on the day of surgery from the preoperative holding area, through the operating room, and into the postanesthesia care unit (PACU).

METHODS

PubMed queries were performed from January 2001 to December 2019 and reviewed according to Level of Evidence regarding specific key questions developed by the committee.

RESULTS

Evidence-based recommendations are made for care of patients undergoing RYGB including the pre-operative holding area, intra-operative management and performance of RYGB, and concurrent procedures.

CONCLUSIONS

This document may provide guidance based on recent evidence to bariatric surgeons and providers for the intra-operative care for minimally invasive RYGB.

Meticulous Closure of Mesenteric Defects Effectively Reduces the Incidence of Internal Hernia After Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

INTRODUCTION

Internal hernia (IH) after Roux-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) can lead to extended small bowel ischemia if it not recognized and treated promptly. The aim of this study is to show whether improvement in mesenteric defect (MD) closure reduces the incidence of IH.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from our database including all patients who underwent laparoscopic RYGB between 1999 and 2015. The usual technique was a retrocolic/retrogastric RYGB. We divided patients in four groups according to the closure technique for MD and compared incidences of IH between groups. All patients had at least 8 years of follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 1927 patients (1497 females/460 males, mean age of 41.5 ± 11 years) were operated. A retrocolic/retrogastric RYGB was performed in 1747 (90.7%) and an antecolic RYGB in 180 patients. Mean duration of follow-up was 15 (8-24) years. 111 patients (5.8%) developed IH, the majority through the jejunojejunostomy (JJ, 3.7%) and Petersen (1.7%) defects. With improvement of closure technique, the incidence decreased over time, from 12.9% in the group with separate sutures to 1.05% in the most recent group with running non-absorbable sutures and an additional purse-string at the JJ defect (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

Meticulous closure of MD during RYGB is a very important step that significantly reduces the IH risk after RYGB, even with a retrocolic/retrogastric anatomy. Using running non absorbable braided sutures and an additional purse-string suture at the JJ is the most effective technique, but a small IH risk persists. A high index of suspicion remains necessary in patients who present with acute abdominal pain after RYGB.

Long-term Safety and Efficacy of Closure of Mesenteric Defects in Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Short-term and midterm data suggest that mesenteric defects closure during laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) surgery reduces the risk of internal herniation with small bowel obstruction (SBO) but may increase risk of kinking of the jejunojejunostomy in the early postoperative period. However, to our knowledge, there are no clinical trials reporting long-term results from this intervention in terms of risk for SBO or opioid use.

Objective

To evaluate long-term safety and efficacy outcomes of closure of mesenteric defects during LRYGB.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This randomized clinical trial with a 2-arm, parallel, open-label design included patients with severe obesity scheduled for LRYGB bariatric surgery at 12 centers in Sweden from May 1, 2010, through November 14, 2011, with 10 years of follow-up after the intervention.

Interventions

During the operation, patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to closure of mesenteric defects beneath the jejunojejunostomy and at the Petersen space using nonabsorbable running sutures during LRYGB or to nonclosure.

Main Outcome and Measures

The primary outcome was reoperation for SBO. New incident, chronic opioid use was a secondary end point as a measure of harm.

Results

A total of 2507 patients (mean [SD] age, 41.7 [10.7] years; 1863 female [74.3%]) were randomly assigned to closure of mesenteric defects (n = 1259) or nonclosure (n = 1248). After censoring for death and emigration, 1193 patients in the closure group (94.8%) and 1198 in the nonclosure group (96.0%) were followed up until the study closed. Over a median follow-up of 10 years (IQR, 10.0-10.0 years), a reoperation for SBO from day 31 to 10 years after surgery was performed in 185 patients with nonclosure (10-year cumulative incidence, 14.9%; 95% CI, 13.0%-16.9%) and in 98 patients with closure (10-year cumulative incidence, 7.8%; 95% CI, 6.4%-9.4%) (subhazard ratio [SHR], 0.42; 95% CI, 0.32-0.55). New incident chronic opioid use was seen among 175 of 863 opioid-naive patients with nonclosure (10-year cumulative incidence, 20.4%; 95% CI, 17.7%-23.0%) and 166 of 895 opioid-naive patients with closure (10-year cumulative incidence, 18.7%; 95% CI, 16.2%-21.3%) (SHR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.73-1.11).

Conclusions and Relevance

This randomized clinical trial found long-term reduced risk of SBO after mesenteric defects closure in LRYGB. The findings suggest that routine use of this procedure during LRYGB should be considered.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01137201.

Chyloperitoneum and Chylothorax Following Bariatric Surgery: a Systematic Review

Chyloperitoneum and chylothorax (ChP/ChT) are rare complications after bariatric surgery. This systematic review aims to evaluate the incidence, cause, treatment, and outcome of ChP and ChT after bariatric surgery. This review investigates published English language scientific literature systematically in an attempt to answer these questions. Our literature search revealed 66 studies, of which 23 were included. There were a total of 40 patients (38, ChP; 2, ChT). Eighteen of 40 (43.9%) patients were treated laparoscopically, and one patient (2.44%) underwent thoracoscopy and ligation of the thoracic duct. Both ChP and ChT are rare complications after bariatric surgery.

Risk of Reopening of the Mesenteric Defects After Routine Closure in Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: a Single-Centre Experience

PURPOSE

Small bowel obstruction (SBO) due to internal hernias (IH) is a well-recognised complication after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). Routine closure of the mesenteric defects (MDs) is recommended to reduce the risk of IH and subsequent SBO. However, data about the rates of reopening of the MDs after LRYGB is scarce. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the risk of reopening of the MDs after routine closure during LRYGB. The secondary objective was to determine any risk factors associated with the reopening of the MDs.

METHODS

Data of all patients who underwent reoperations after LRYGB with closure of both MDs between January 2010 and December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS

A total of 162 patients were included. The median time between LRYGB and reoperation was 17 months. At the time of reoperation, both MDs were closed in 83 patients (51.2%); thus, 79 patients (48.8%) presented at least one open MD. The group of patients with preoperative diagnosis of SBO or with recurrent abdominal pain showed significantly higher rates of open Petersen's space compared to the group of patients with other preoperative diagnoses. Preoperative body mass index (BMI) less than 40 kg/m² at time of LRYGB was associated with a higher risk for an open MD.

CONCLUSION

At least one MD reopened in almost half of the patients despite routine closure during LRYGB. Therefore, the status of MDs should be routinely examined during every reoperation after LRYGB and closure of open MDs should be performed.

Predicting Symptom Relief After Reoperation for Suspected Internal Herniation After Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

Background

Internal herniation (IH) is one of the most common long-term complications after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). Diagnosis of IH may be difficult, and not all patients with suspected IH will have full relief of symptoms after closure of both mesenteric defects.

Objectives

To investigate possible predictive factors for relief of symptoms in patients with suspected IH.

Methods

All patients that underwent reoperation for (suspected) IH after LRYGB from June 2009 to December 2016 were retrospectively evaluated in this multicentre cohort study. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictive factors for pain relief after closure of the mesenteric defects.

Results

A total of 193 patients underwent laparoscopy for (suspected) IH during the study period. The median interval between LRYGB and reoperation was 18.3 ± 19.0 months. In 40.2% of cases, IH was identified on computed tomography (CT), and IH was objectified during surgery in 61.1%. Postoperative symptom relief was observed in 146 patients (77.2%). For patients in which IH was present during surgery, 82.8% had relief of pain postoperatively, as compared to 68.5% for those procedures in which no IH was found. The only significant predictor for postoperative pain relief was a swirl sign on CT (OR 4.24, 95%CI 1.63–11.05).

Conclusions

Pain relief after closure of the mesenteric defects for IH remains unpredictable. A positive CT for IH was a predictive factor for symptom relief after reoperation for (suspected) IH after LRYGB. However, many patients benefit from closure of the mesenteric defects, irrespective of perioperative presence of IH.

The mesenteric defects in laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: 5 years follow-up of non-closure versus closure using the stapler technique

BACKGROUND

Internal hernia (IH) is a common complication of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). Little large-volume data exist on how to handle the mesenteric defects during LRYGB. This study evaluated long-term follow-up (5.5 years) of 2443 patients with primary closure of the mesenteric defects with a stapling device at LRYGB, in comparison with a non-closed group from the same centre.

METHODS

All patients (N = 4013) undergoing LRYGB over a 10-year period (2005-2015) at a single institution were evaluated. The mesenteric defects were routinely closed starting June 2010. In total, 1570 non-closure patients and 2443 patients with stapled closure of the defects were prospectively entered and the results analysed.

RESULTS

Closure of the mesenteric defects increased surgical time by 4 min and did not affect the 30-day complication rate. IH incidence was significantly lower (2.5%) in the closure group compared with 11.7% in the non-closure group, at 60 months. The relative risk reduction by closing the mesenteric defects was 4.09-fold (95% CI = 2.97-5.62) as calculated using a survival model.

CONCLUSIONS

Internal hernia after LRYGB occurs frequently if mesenteric defects are left unclosed. Primary closure with a hernia-stapling device is safe and significantly reduces the risk of internal hernia.