Add on Fundus resection to typical laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass offers no superior glycemic control in T2DM

Gastrointestinal surgery in recent decade has gained popularity and is commonly performed in morbidly obese people known as 'bariatric surgery". It is accepted as the most effective treatment for morbid obesity and has been shown to be successful in treating T2DM in morbidly obese people.

Glycemic control, after metabolic surgery, is achieved in two stages, initially with neuroendocrine alterations and in the long-term with sustainable weight loss. The resection of the gastric fundus, as the major site of ghrelin production, is probably related with optimized glucose regulation.

The present study aimed to investigate whether the modification of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGBP) with fundus resection offers superior glycemic control, compared to typical LRYGBP.

Dimitrios Kehagias and team found that fundus resection wasn’t superior in improving glycemic regulation, compared to typical LRYGBP and the significant decrease in BMI after LRYGBP+FR has to be further confirmed with longer follow-up. The findings are published in Obesity Surgery journal.

Researchers included 24 patients with body mass index (BMI) ≥40kg/m2 and type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM), who were randomly assigned to undergo LRYGBP and LRYGBP with fundus resection (LRYGBP+FR). Gastrointestinal (GI) hormones [ghrelin, glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide-YY (PYY)] and glycemic parameters (glucose, insulin, HbA1c, C-peptide, insulinogenic index, HOMA-IR) were measured preoperatively, at 6 and 12 months during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

The key findings of the study are

• Ninety-five percent of patients showed complete remission of T2DM after 12 months. LRYGBP+FR was not related with improved glycemic control, compared to LRYGBP.

• Ghrelin levels were not significantly reduced at 6 and 12 months after LRYGBP+FR. GLP-1 and PYY levels were remarkably increased postprandially in both groups at 6 and 12 months postoperatively (p<0.01).

• Patients who underwent LRYGBP+FR achieved a significantly lower BMI at 12 months in comparison to LRYGBP (p<0.05).

Researchers concluded that “Fundus resection is not associated with improved glycemic regulation, compared to typical LRYGBP and the significant decrease in BMI after LRYGBP+FR has to be further confirmed with longer follow-up.”

Reference: Kehagias, D., Lampropoulos, C., Georgopoulos, N. et al. Diabetes Remission After LRYGBP With and Without Fundus Resection: a Randomized Clinical Trial. OBES SURG (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-023-06857-z.