Background: Obesity is an increasing health problem and surgery seems to be the only treatment effective in achieving weight loss without relapse. Among bariatric techniques, many differences exist in terms of weight loss and resolution of comorbidities. Up to now, there are no prospective studies comparing long-term effects of malabsorptive vs restrictive techniques. Objective: In this study, cardiometabolic risk factors and body composition changes after malabsorptive biliointestinal bypass (BIBP) and restrictive laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) were compared during a 4-year follow-up. Design: Prospective, case-control and cohort study. Patients: In all, 80 obese subjects, matched for weight and age. Altogether, 40 patients underwent BIBP and 40 underwent LAGB. Measurements: Weight, body composition, fasting and post-loading plasma glucose and insulin, homeostatic model assessment index (HOMA-I), lipid profile, blood pressure (BP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate and fibrinogen were monitored at baseline, 12 and 48 months. Results: At 12 months after surgery, a significant reduction in body mass index, total fat mass (FM), trunk FM (trFM), trFM/legs FM (lFM) ratio (trFM/lFM), triglycerides, BP and inflammation markers was observed in both groups. BIBP patients showed a significant reduction in total cholesterol (Tot-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), whereas the LAGB group showed a significant increase of HDL-C. A further improvement of all the parameters evaluated was seen in the BIBP group at 48 months after surgery. Conclusions: Both bariatric procedures exerted positive effects on cardiometabolic risk factors and on weight loss in the population studied, but on the long-term period, HOMA-I, Tot-C/HDL-C ratio and body composition improvements were more evident after BIBP. We conclude that malabsorptive BIBP seems to be more effective than LAGB in treating visceral obesity and its metabolic complications

BACKGROUND: Obese patients are often affected by hypertension, dyslipidaemia, impaired glucose metabolism, and suffer from cardiovascular disease (CVD), related to the characteristic metabolic alterations. AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate reduction of risk factors for CVDs in morbid-obese patients (body mass index (BMI)440 kg/m 2 ) after weight loss upon bariatric surgery intervention of biliary-intestinal bypass. SUBJECTS: 45 (17 men, 28 women) morbid-obese patients (age: 19-49 y, BMI440 kg/m 2 ). All patients were selected on the basis of medical history, physical and biochemical evaluation and of psychiatric tests, which were performed on all individuals admitted to our Day Hospital to verify the safety of surgical intervention. MEASUREMENTS: Body weight, body composition (by dual X-ray absorptiometry, DXA), blood pressure, lipid profile, fibrinogen and glucose metabolism were monitored at baseline and 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24 and 36 months after surgery. RESULTS: A significant and persistent weight loss was present in all patients at the end of the 3 y follow-up period (Po0.001), with a progressive reduction of total and trunk fat mass as evaluated by means of DXA. Additionally, a parallel significant reduction in systolic (Po0.001) and diastolic (Po0.001) blood pressure was observed. Total and LDL cholesterol were significantly reduced (Po0.001), while HDL showed no modifications; triglycerides declined progressively during the 3 y followup (Po0.001). Fibrinogen decreased from 364.5782.4 to 266.4745.7 mg/dl at the end of the period (Po0.001). Fasting glucose levels and glucose levels 120 min after an oral glucose tolerance test were reduced from 95.1720.3 to 78.679.1 mg/dl (Po0.001) and from 116.9734.7 to 77.6715.5 mg/dl (Po0.001), respectively, at baseline and at the end of the study. Moreover, fasting insulin decreased from 30.0720.4 to 8.672.9 mUI/ml (Po0.001) after 3 y, while insulin levels after (120 min) oral glucose load decreased from 105.5761.5 to 12.076.0 mUI/ml (Po0.001). CONCLUSION: Our results show that biliary-intestinal bypass may represent a valid and alternative therapeutic approach in patients with morbid obesity since it induces a significant and stable reduction of body weight and obesity-related risk factors for CVD.

The BI-bypass but not the AGB leads to a persistent and marked beneficial effect on blood LDL cholesterol associated with an increased cholesterol fecal output. BI-bypass but not AGB is indicated in morbidly obese patients with hypercholesterolemia.

HC shows passage of radioactive bile through anastomoses and provides semiquantitative evaluation of bile flux diversion. Bile flux towards the gallbladder and non-functional jejunal limb far exceeds flux directed towards the duodenum via the choledochus.