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Internal Hernia After Laparoscopic Antecolic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

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Abstract

Background

We evaluated the incidence and presentations of internal hernias (IH) after laparoscopic antecolic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) at our institution.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 594 patients who underwent laparoscopic antecolic RYGB at our institution between December 2004 and December 2010.

Results

Five hundred ninety-four patients underwent laparoscopic antecolic RYGB with a mean follow-up of 50.5 months. Thirty-six patients developed 37 IH (6.2 %) requiring surgical intervention. Mean age of IH patients was 36.9 years. Thirty-one out of 36 were female. Mean preoperative BMI was 44.3 Kg/m2. The mean time of presentation after their RYGB was 25.9 months. The mean % excess body weight loss at time of presentation was 54.0 %. Twenty-five out of 37 of IH occurred at Petersen’s space; 9/37 IH occurred under the jejunojejunostomy; three patients had hernias at both locations. Mesenteric swirling was the most common CT scan finding in 20/36 (55.6 %). Six out of 36 CT were initially read as normal; however, on retrospective review by a radiologist, abnormalities indicating IH were found in 4/6. Patients presented with different degrees of acuity: 6/37 with chronic abdominal pain and 28/37 with acute abdominal pain. Bowel necrosis was found in 3/37.

Conclusion

IH is a serious and potentially fatal complication of RYGB. Presentation can vary from chronic abdominal pain to bowel necrosis. CT is helpful in providing diagnosis; however, careful attention to the specific signs of small bowel volvulus, such as mesenteric swirl sign, should be given. IH should be considered in RYGB patients who present with even vague symptoms.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mr. Paul Visintainer, PhD for his assistance in performing the statistical analysis of the data.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest

Ethical Approval Statement

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards

Informed Consent Statement

For this type of study, formal consent is not required.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Baystate Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Springfield, MA, USA

    Mazen R. Al-Mansour, Romie Mundy, Jay N. Kuhn & John Romanelli

  2. Department of Radiology, Baystate Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Springfield, MA, USA

    James M. Canoy & Kal Dulaimy

Authors
  1. Mazen R. Al-Mansour
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  2. Romie Mundy
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Correspondence to Mazen R. Al-Mansour.

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Al-Mansour, M.R., Mundy, R., Canoy, J.M. et al. Internal Hernia After Laparoscopic Antecolic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass. OBES SURG 25, 2106–2111 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-015-1672-0

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