Practices Concerning Revisional Bariatric Surgery: a Survey of 460 Surgeons

There is currently little evidence available on various aspects of Revisional Bariatric Surgery (RBS) and no published consensus amongst experts. The purpose of this study was to understand variation in practices concerning RBS.

Bariatric surgeons from around the world who perform RBS were invited to participate in a questionnaire-based survey on SurveyMonkey®.

A total of 460 respondents from 62 countries took the survey. For revision after gastric banding, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) (75.5%, n = 345) emerged as the commonest choice followed by sleeve gastrectomy (SG) (56.9%, n = 260) and one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) (37.2%, n = 170). For revision after SG, RYGB (77.7%, n = 355) was the commonest option followed by OAGB (42.45%, n = 194) and re-sleeve (22.32%, n = 102). For revision after RYGB, surgical pouch reduction (49.1%, n = 223), prolongation of bilio-pancreatic limb (30.0%, n = 136), and surgical stoma size reduction (26.43%, n = 120) were the most preferred options. Approximately 90.0% of respondents (n = 406/454) routinely perform an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy before an RBS, and 85.6% (n = 388/453) routinely perform a contrast study. Ninety percent (n = 403/445) reported that the demand for RBS was usually patient-driven, and there was wide variation in criteria used to define successful response, non-responders, and significant weight regain.

This survey is the first attempt to understand various aspects of RBS. The findings will help in identifying areas for research and allow consensus building amongst experts.