Conversion of both Versions of Vertical Banded Gastroplasty to Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: Analysis of Short-term Outcomes

Background Conversional bariatric surgery has relatively high rates of complications. We aimed to analyze our single-center experience with patients requiring conversional laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) following a failed primary open or laparoscopic vertical banded gastroplasty (OVBG or LVBG, respectively). Methods The records of patients who underwent LRYGB as a conversional procedure after VBG between November 2004 and December 2017 were reviewed. Characteristics, body mass index (BMI), operation time, intraoperative problems, length of hospitalization, and early (< 30 days) morbidity and mortality were analyzed. Data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation or frequency. Results A total of 329 patients (81.76% females) who underwent conversional RYGB were included. For the LVBG group (224 patients) and OVBG group (105 patients), respectively, BMI was 34.15 ± 6.38 and 37.79 ± 6.31 kg/m2 ( p < 0.05), the operation time was 96.00 ± 31.40 and 123.15 ± 40.26 min ( p < 0.05), hospitalization duration was 2.96 ± 1.13 and 3.20 ± 1.20 days ( p = 0.08), the early complication rate was 7.14 and 11.43% ( p = 0.19), and the reoperation rate was 2.23 and 2.86% ( p = 0.73). There were no major intraoperative problems. Three patients with OVBG were converted to open RYGB (2.86%). There was no mortality. Conclusion The conversion of OVBG and LVBG to laparoscopic RYGB is technically feasible and provides comparably low early morbidity rates and length of hospitalization. However, compared to LVBG, conversional laparoscopic RYGB following OVBG is technically more challenging and time-consuming, with a slightly higher risk of conversion to open surgery. We support the use of such conversional bariatric surgery in specialized, high-volume bariatric centers.