Weight Loss Surgery: Riskier Procedure More Effective, Study Finds

In the past decade, weight loss surgery has gone from something that is unusual, uncommon and was only performed in a handful of rare cases to a relatively well-known procedure- one it is likely someone you know has undergone.

More commonly nowadays, the procedure used is what is known as a gastric bypass. A gastric bypass essentially divides the stomach into two pouches, one of which holds a smaller volume of food and ultimately causes the patient to lose weight. However, a more invasive and riskier procedure known as a duodenal switch is also used to assist patients in losing weight.

Also known as Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch (BPD-DS) or Gastric Reduction Duodenal Switch (GRDS), the more serious procedure inhibits the absorption of calories or fats from food consumed by patients, and according to a new study, has a far more dramatic weight loss result. At the two-year post surgery mark, patients who have undergone duodenal switch weight loss surgery have lost 50 lbs. more on average than their counterparts who have opted for or been recommended gastric bypass weight loss surgery. While duodenal switch patients lost an average of 162 lbs. in a study, gastric bypass patients lost a still-impressive 111 lbs.

As is to be expected, however, the enhanced results come with risks that are greatly enhanced in some cases. Dr. Torgeir T. Sovik of Oslo University in Norway was lead researcher on the study, and he commented on the risk-benefit ratio for the two forms of weight loss surgery as well as the importance of vetting candidates well:

“As duodenal switch can be associated with more adverse events, this procedure should only be performed in carefully selected patients by a dedicated bariatric team… And a closer follow-up after surgery is required after such procedures.”

Another expert in the field- Dr. Edward H. Livingston, a professor and surgeon at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas- does not feel duodenal switch is a viable option and says that the surgery should “probably go away.” Noting that the riskier procedure is “just not a good operation,” he added that doctors were still unsure if there was even any long-term “survival benefit.”