Mini GBS vs RNY - ThinnerTimes

mom2four · 03-06-2006, 09:04 AM

I have a friend that is having RNY next week and she called me very confused. Someone told her that the Mini GBS was better and more successful. I told her I knew nothing about Mini but I would ask this wonderful group of people.
Thanks Sonia
244/204/135
RNY 12-7-06

Dorothy · 03-06-2006, 12:17 PM

I have not done much research on this proceedure either, but here is some explaination on it. Hope it helps

http://clos.net/lib/roux-en-y/mgb_vs_rny.htm

Pixie · 03-06-2006, 01:02 PM

I was actually pretty much set on the mini before I found Dr. C. I liked it because it seemed less invasive, but it also is a newer process so there is little information about the long term sucess rate. There are a lot of things that make it seem like an "easier" alternative, but when i really looked into it I realized it is just too new to know if it is really a long term solution and since there have been fewer minis done of course there are fewer deaths and fewer complications in patients, because there aren't the same kind of patient histories to draw accurate information from. The stomach is a little bigger, so the results are different, and there has been some research that has found that by bypassing 6 feet of small intestines there can be problems with absorbtion and normal digestion functions. Although I am not saying anything bad about the mini, your friend will probably be happiest with the RYN long term, and I think she will find greater success. I know I have had NO regrets what so ever about deciding to go RYN instead of mini. That is just my opinion.

lealphachienne · 03-06-2006, 01:19 PM

There are pros and cons to any surgery....what works for one may not work for another. However, a big determinign factor is if insurance will cover the procedure. Since the "Mini" is new, it's not covered by any insurance. Also, there will be problems with the "Mini" because the staples can come out and the stomach will open up again to full size. The Mini is basiclly the old stomach stapling, which was a quick procedure, with a bit of instestinal bypass added to it. really though....how good can a procedure of this nature be if it only takes 30 minutes? I wouldn't want a surgeon to feel rushed because it's a "quick" procedure.

I personally think the RNY bypass is the best.....it certainly worked for me and many others I know.

Doc J · 03-06-2006, 02:04 PM

This was pulled off the Alvarado Bariatric Surgeons website at Alvarado Hospital. This does not sound like a procedure I would want to do!

http://www.gastricbypass.com/SOMO.htm

Loop Gastric Bypass ("Mini Gastric Bypass")

This form of Gastric Bypass was developed years ago, and has generally been abandoned by nearly all bariatric surgeons as unsafe -- several years ago, a consensus of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery was that the procedure should never be performed.

Although easier to perform than the Roux en-Y, it creates a severe hazard in the event of any leakage after surgery. It seriously increases the risk of ulcer formation, and irritation of the stomach pouch by bile, as well as risking the potential of esophageal cancer. Many persons who underwent this procedure in the past have required major revisional operations to correct severe discomfort and life-threatening pathophysiologic effects. Most bariatric surgeons agree that this operation is obsolete, and should remain defunct.

This operation has been resurrected, in order to make the laparoscopic procedure easier to perform, by possibly less-skilled surgeons. As shown by the single surgeon performing the procedure, the gastric pouch is excessively large, which may lead to loss of weight control over time.

A fundamental principle of laparoscopic surgery is that the underlying operation should not be compromised or degraded, in order to accomplish it, by using limited access techniques. The loop bypass does not meet this standard. There is no reliable long-term data to support use of this anatomic variation.

You can also find info about this operation, and why most surgeons don't do it, at www.Mini-GastricBypass.com.