Duodenal switch may be more effective than gastric bypass, researchers say

A technique called duodenal switch surgery may be more effective than gastric bypass surgery for patients with obesity-related medical problems such as high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure, according to a U.S. study that included 350 super-obese patients who were more than 200 pounds heavier than their ideal body weight.

The findings were presented Monday at Digestive Disease Week 2009 in Chicago.

In gastric bypass surgery, surgeons create a small gastric pouch that's separate from the rest of the stomach, but with duodenal switch surgery, the stomach is reshaped into a long narrow tube and the small intestine is reconfigured to reduce calorie absorption, according to a Digestive Disease Week news release.

In their new study, Dr. Vivek N. Prachand, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Chicago, and colleagues looked at the rates of resolution of obesity-related diseases (whether patients were able to stop taking medications to treat their conditions) three years after either duodenal switch or gastric bypass surgery.

The rates of resolution for duodenal switch and gastric bypass were: diabetes, 100 percent vs. 60 percent; high blood pressure, 68 percent vs. 38.6 percent; high cholesterol, 72 percent vs. 26 percent; acid reflux; 48.5 percent vs. 76.9 percent, the study authors found.