Skip to main content
Log in

Endoscopic Management of Gastrogastric Fistulae Does Not Increase Complications at Bariatric Revision Surgery

  • 2011 SSAT Quick Shot Presentation
  • Published:
Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery Aims and scope

Abstract

Background

Gastrogastric fistula (GGF) is a challenging complication of primary obesity surgery that often leads to revision surgery. The impact of prior endoscopic intervention on subsequent surgical revisional outcomes remains unknown. We present the largest series of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass GGF with subsequent surgical revision of fistulae to date.

Methods

A database of bariatric surgical revisions performed at a single institution was collected. The cohort was divided between patients with and without attempted endoscopic fistula closure prior to surgical revision. Thirty-day morbidity and mortality was the primary outcome.

Results

Thirty-five cases of revision were performed for GGF. Of the 35 cases, 22 patients had attempted endoscopic closure prior to surgical revision while 13 patients went directly to surgical revision. In the endoscopy group, two minor complications and seven major complications occurred (total 9 of 22; 40.9%). In the surgery only group, three minor complications and three major complications occurred (total 6 of 13; 46.1%). No deaths occurred.

Conclusion

Prior attempts at endoscopic fistula closure do not lead to increased surgical complications at the time of surgical revision.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. State-Specific Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults—United States, 2007. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5728a1.htm

  2. Vasan RS, Pencina MJ, Cobain M, Freiberg MS, D'Agostino RB . Estimated risks for developing obesity in the Framingham Heart Study. Ann Intern Med. 2005; 143(7):473–80.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Daviglus ML, Liu K, Yan LL, Pirzada A, Manheim L, Manning W, Garside DB, Wang R, Dyer AR, Greenland P, Stamler J. Relation of body mass index in young adulthood and middle age to Medicare expenditures in older age. JAMA. 2004;292(22):2743–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Ogden CL, Yanovski SZ, Carroll MD, Flegal KM. The epidemiology of obesity. Gastroenterology. 2007;132(6):2087–102.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. World Health Organization fact sheet. Obesity and overweight. World Health Organization Web site. 2011. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/index.html

  6. Christou NV, Sampalis JS, Liberman M, Look D, Auger S, McLean AP, MacLean LD. Surgery decreases long-term mortality, morbidity, and health care use in morbidly obese patients. Ann Surg. 2004;240(3):416–23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Brolin RE. Bariatric surgery and long-term control of morbid obesity. JAMA. 2002;288(22):2793–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Buchwald H, Avidor Y, Braunwald E, Jensen MD, Pories W, Fahrbach K, Schoelles K. Bariatric surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2004;292(14):1724–37.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Buchwald H, Williams SE. Bariatric surgery worldwide 2003. Obes Surg. 2004;14(9): 1157–64.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Santry HP, Gillen DL, Lauderdale DS. Trends in bariatric surgical procedures. JAMA 2005;294(15):1909 –17.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Nguyen NT, Root J, Zainabadi K, Sabio A, Chalifoux S, Stevens CM, Mavandadi S, Longoria M, Wilson SE. Accelerated growth of bariatric surgery with the introduction of minimally invasive surgery. Arch Surg. 2005;140(12):1198–202.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Kohn GP, Galanko JA, Overby DW, Farrell TM. Recent trends in bariatric surgery case volume in the United States. Surgery. 2009;146(2):375–80.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Gracia JA, Martínez M, Elia M, Aguilella V, Royo P, Jiménez A, Bielsa MA, Arribas D. Obesity surgery results depending on technique performed: long-term outcome. Obes Surg. 2009;19(4):432–8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Metabolic and bariatric surgery fact sheet. American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Web site. 2010. http://www.asbs.org/Newsite07/media/asmbs_fs_surgery.pdf. Accessed May 2010

  15. Cucchi SG, Pories WJ, MacDonald KG, Morgan EJ. Gastrogastric fistulas. A complication of divided gastric bypass surgery. Ann Surg 1995;221(4):387–91.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Capella JF, Capella RF. Gastro-gastric fistulas and marginal ulcers in gastric bypass procedures for weight reduction. Obes Surg. 1999;9(1):22–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Carrodeguas L, Szomstein S, Soto F, Whipple O, Simpfendorfer C, Gonzalvo JP, Villares A, Zundel N, Rosenthal R. Management of gastrogastric fistulas after divided Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery for morbid obesity: analysis of 1,292 consecutive patients and review of literature. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2005;1(5):467–74.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Tucker ON, Szomstein S, Rosenthal RJ. Surgical management of gastro-gastric fistula after divided laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for morbid obesity. J Gastrointest Surg. 2007;11(12):1673–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Filho AJ, Kondo W, Nassif LS, Garcia MJ, Tirapelle Rde A, Dotti CM. Gastrogastric fistula: a possible complication of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. JSLS. 2006;10(3):326–31.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Gumbs AA, Duffy AJ, Bell RL. Management of gastrogastric fistula after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2006;2(2):117–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Stanczyk M, Deveney CW, Traxler SA, McConnell DB, Jobe BA, O'Rourke RW. Gastro-gastric fistula in the era of divided Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: strategies for prevention, diagnosis, and management. Obes Surg. 2006;16(3):359–64.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Yao DC, Stellato TA, Schuster MM, Graf KN, Hallowell PT. Gastrogastric fistula following Roux-en-Y bypass is attributed to both surgical technique and experience. Am J Surg. 2010;199(3):382–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Waidner U, Henne-Bruns D, Wolf AM. Gastro-gastric fistula between pouch and fundus following gastric banding and bypass. Obes Surg. 2007;17(1):108–11.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Obstein KL, Thompson CC. Endoscopy after bariatric surgery (with videos). Gastrointest Endosc. 2009;70(6):1161–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Lee JK, Van Dam J, Morton JM, Curet M, Banerjee S. Endoscopy is accurate, safe, and effective in the assessment and management of complications following gastric bypass surgery. Am J Gastroenterol. 2009;104(3):575–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Huang CS , Forse RA , Jacobsen BC, Farraye FA. Endoscopic findings and their clinical correlations in patients with symptoms after gastric bypass surgery .Gastrointest Endosc 2003;58(6):859–66.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Rábago LR, Ventosa N, Castro JL, Marco J, Herrera N, Gea F. Endoscopic treatment of postoperative fistulas resistant to conservative management using biological fibrin glue. Endoscopy. 2002;34(8):632–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Papavramidis TS, Kotzampassi K, Kotidis E, Eleftheriadis EE, Papavramidis ST. Endoscopic fibrin sealing of gastrocutaneous fistulas after sleeve gastrectomy and biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2008;23(12):1802–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Liu CD, Glantz GJ, Livingston EH. Fibrin glue as a sealant for high-risk anastomosis in surgery for morbid obesity. Obes Surg. 2003;13(1):45–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Papavramidis ST, Eleftheriadis EE, Papavramidis TS, Kotzampassi KE, Gamvros OG. Endoscopic management of gastrocutaneous fistula after bariatric surgery by using a fibrin sealant. Gastrointest Endosc. 2004;59(2):296–300.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Thaler K. Treatment of leaks and other bariatric complications with endoluminal stents. J Gastrointest Surg. 2009;13(9):1567–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Toussaint E, Eisendrath P, Kwan V, Dugardeyn S, Devière J, Le Moine O. Endoscopic treatment of postoperative enterocutaneous fistulas after bariatric surgery with the use of a fistula plug: report of five cases. Endoscopy. 2009;41(6):560–3.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Merrifield BF, Lautz D, Thompson CC. Endoscopic repair of gastric leaks after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: a less invasive approach. Gastrointest Endosc 2006;63(4):710–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Petersen B, Barkun A, Carpenter S, Chotiprasidhi P, Chuttani R, Silverman W, Hussain N, Liu J, Taitelbaum G, Ginsberg GG; Technology Assessment Committee, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Tissue adhesives and fibrin glues. Gastrointest Endosc 2004;60(3):327–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Felsher J, Farres H, Chand B, Farver C, Ponsky J. Mucosal apposition in endoscopic suturing. Gastrointest Endosc 2003;58(6):867–70.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Kumar R, Naik S, Tiwari N, Sharma S, Varsheney S, Pruthi HS. Endoscopic closure of fecal colo-cutaneous fistula by using metal clips. Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech 2007;17(5):447–51.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Lee MG, Provost DA, Jones DB. Use of fibrin sealant in laparoscopic gastric bypass for the morbidly obese. Obes Surg 2004;14(10):1321–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Spaun GO, Martinec DV, Kennedy TJ, Swanström LL. Endoscopic closure of gastrogastric fistulas by using a tissue apposition system (with videos). Gastrointest Endosc. 2010;71(3):606–11.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Fernandez-Esparrach G, Lautz DB, Thompson CC. Endoscopic repair of gastrogastric fistula after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: a less-invasive approach. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2010;6(3):282–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Schwartz RW, Strodel WE, Simpson WS, Griffen WO Jr. Gastric bypass revision: lessons learned from 920 cases. Surgery. 1988;104(4):806–12.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Gagner M, Gentileschi P, de Csepel J, Kini S, Patterson E, Inabnet WB, Herron D, Pomp A. Laparoscopic reoperative bariatric surgery: experience from 27 consecutive patients. Obes Surg. 2002;12(2):254–60.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Sarr MG. Reoperative bariatric surgery. Surg Endosc. 2007;21(11):1909–13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Cho M, Kaidar-Person O, Szomstein S, Rosenthal RJ. Laparoscopic remnant gastrectomy: a novel approach to gastrogastric fistula after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for morbid obesity. J Am Coll Surg. 2007;204(4):617–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Tucker ON, Escalante-Tattersfield T, Szomstein S, Rosenthal R. Laparoscopic management of chronic gastric pouch fistula after laparoscopic gastric bypass. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2009;5(2):278–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Salimath J, Rosenthal RJ, Szomstein S. Laparoscopic remnant gastrectomy as a novel approach for treatment of gastrogastric fistula. Surg Endosc. 2009;23(11):2591–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Nesset EM, Kendrick ML, Houghton SG, Mai JL, Thompson GB, Que FG, Thomsen KM, Larson DR, Sarr MG. A two-decade spectrum of revisional bariatric surgery at a tertiary referral center. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2007;3(1):25–30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Benotti PN, Forse RA. Safety and long-term efficacy of revisional surgery in severe obesity. Am J Surg. 1996;172(3):232–5.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Brolin RE, Cody RP. Impact of technological advances on complications of revisional bariatric operations. J Am Coll Surg. 2008;206(3):1137–44.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Lim CS, Liew V, Talbot ML, Jorgensen JO, Loi KW. Revisional bariatric surgery. Obes Surg. 2009;19(7):827–32.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Spyropoulos C, Kehagias I, Panagiotopoulos S, Mead N, Kalfarentzos F. Revisional bariatric surgery: 13-year experience from a tertiary institution. Arch Surg. 2010;145(2):173–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Hamza N, Darwish A, Ammori MB, Abbas MH, Ammori BJ. Revision laparoscopic gastric bypass: an effective approach following failure of primary bariatric procedures. Obes Surg. 2010;20(5):541–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. Hallowell PT, Stellato TA, Yao DA, Robinson A, Schuster MM, Graf KN. Should bariatric revisional surgery be avoided secondary to increased morbidity and mortality? Am J Surg. 2009;197(3):391–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Clavien PA, Barkun J, de Oliveira ML, Vauthey JN, Dindo D, Schulick RD, de Santibañes E, Pekolj J, Slankamenac K, Bassi C, Graf R, Vonlanthen R, Padbury R, Cameron JL, Makuuchi M. The Clavien–Dindo classification of surgical complications: five-year experience. Ann Surg. 2009;250(2):187–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  54. Ballesta C, Berindoague R, Cabrera M, et al. Management of anastomotic leaks after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Obes Surg. 2008;18:623–30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Fernandez Jr AZ, DeMaria EJ, Tichansky DS, et al. Experience with over 3,000 open and laparoscopic bariatric procedures: multivariate analysis of factors related to leak and resultant mortality. Surg Endosc. 2004;18:193–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  56. Ellsmere JC, Thompson CC, Brugge WR, Chuttani R, J Desilets D, Rattner DW, E Tarnoff M, Kaplan LM. Endoscopic interventions for weight loss surgery. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009;17(5):929–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher C. Thompson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Flicker, M.S., Lautz, D.B. & Thompson, C.C. Endoscopic Management of Gastrogastric Fistulae Does Not Increase Complications at Bariatric Revision Surgery. J Gastrointest Surg 15, 1736–1742 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-011-1503-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-011-1503-0

Keywords

Navigation