Revision Surgery in Tijuana: Enhancing and Correcting Results

There are two: 
1. Poor weight loss or weight regain. 
2. Complications of the original procedure. These are generally procedure-specific, e.g., ulcers for RY gastric bypass, slippage for the LAP-BAND, etc.

The results can vary widely.

In the hands of an experienced bariatric surgeon, the results of operations for complications are generally good. This means that the complication is corrected and the associated problems are resolved. Weight loss following revisional procedures is generally less dramatic than following the primary operation. This is primarily because patients who have revisional surgery for a failure to lose weight have considerably more difficulty losing weight in general.

The results also depend on the original bariatric procedure. Many patients who have failed to lose significant weight after undergoing the LAP-BAND procedure have fairly good weight loss after a conversion to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Conversely, patients who fail gastric bypass tend to lose less weight following conversion to a more malabsorptive bariatric procedure. Additionally, patients who have “popped” their staples usually do well when the situation is repaired.

Historically, revisional bariatric surgery has been high-risk. Two decades ago, the overall complication rate approached 50% with a mortality rate as high as 5-10% in some published reports.

However, during the past 10 years these results have improved. It’s generally accepted that revisional bariatric procedures should NOT be performed by surgeons with little or no bariatric experience. Several recent publications emphasize that a surgeon’s experience is directly related to better outcomes.

In short, the best results following revisional bariatric operations are obtained by the most experienced surgeons. This is the primary reason why the Center for Weight Loss & Metabolic Medicine offers revisional surgery.