The Occam’s Razor suggests that entities should not be multiplied endlessly. Although it is true in many situations, in some fields where evolution and progress is ongoing, this is not true. One such field is in Bariatric surgery where yet another procedure is making great promise. It goes by the name of Mini Gastric Bypass (MGB).
Dr. R Rutledge, an American surgeon devised the procedure in 1997 and the author had the honour and privilege to learn the procedure directly from him.
Literature suggests that when compared to the other bariatric procedures, MGB is a simpler, shorter and a very effective technique in weight loss surgery. In fact it takes less than an hour to do this surgery. Most patients are home the next day.
The other significant short-term advantage is the time to get back to a solid diet after surgery. In other bariatric procedures, it is common for the patients to get back to solid food after a period of 3 to 6 weeks. However a patient after MGB can get back to a solid diet as early as 2 days! No more listening to the patients post surgery “Doctor, when can I eat? I am tired of drinking”.
The MGB works differently from other procedures in the sense that it causes more malabsorption than standard procedures like sleeve gastrectomy and conventional gastric bypass. So a patient who eats more will still lose weight or maintain the weight loss achieved even years after bariatric surgery- a phenomenon not seen consistently in other procedures. This has been documented in some studies where MGB was found to be more effective in sustained weight loss even at long term where the durability of other procedures have been questioned.
There is one more novel advantage of MGB. In all the bariatric procedures thus far, the surgery would be the same irrespective of the weight loss and metabolic effect desired. In MGB, however the procedure can be tailored to produce a measured response. In this manner, the surgery can work as a pill with the dosage in our control. Practically this is achieved by altering the length of the bowel bypassed in MGB. Shorter bypass achieves a lesser weight loss and metabolic control. The longer bypass obviously achieves more. Simple!
The other great thing about MGB (it doesn’t seem to end!) is that it is both easily reversible and revisable. Let me explain. If for some reason (and that would have to be something great, considering the benefits) a patient wanted to undo the procedure, it would take less than an hour in the operation theater to do so. Lets take another situation. If after some time after bariatric surgery, the patient does not have the desired result of weight loss- it may have been too much or too less of weight loss- then the surgery can be revised by performing another simple procedure.
Though there is a lot of evidence in the benefits of bariatric surgery on obese diabetics, there is actually little data and good evidence on the benefits of different procedures in bariatric surgery on non-obese diabetics. However, some studies are showing promising results from MGB even in non-obese diabetics. This can be a major breakthrough in the future of treatment of diabetes.
With excellent long-term weight loss and these wonderful benefits, it is not surprising to know why this surgery is fast becoming more popular with the obese and diabetic patients.
Watch the video of Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery on YouTube.