Short versus long biliopancreatic limb in Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery for treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Introduction Although laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is still widely accepted as a valid procedure in the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), there continues to be a significant controversy about how long the Roux and biliopancreatic limb should be bypassed for optimum results. Aim To assess the effect of a longer biliopancreatic limb (BPL) length on glycemic control after RYGB in T2DM patients. Material and methods Eighty-four patients with uncontrolled T2DM who underwent RYGB between May 2010 and April 2017 were collected from the prospectively designed database. Forty patients (S-BPL group) received BPL lengths ≤ 50 cm, including 30 cm (n = 1), 40 cm (n = 1), and 50 cm (n = 38). Forty-four patients (L-BPL group) received 100 cm BPL. Anthropometry, serum glucose and lipid metabolic parameters were measured at baseline and 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months after surgery. Results Comparing the two groups, there were no significant differences in anthropometric and biochemical measures, except the weight and body mass index, which were higher in the S-BPL group (85.91 ±20.32 vs. 76.25 ±16.99, p = 0.038; 31.87 ±6.61 vs. 28.7 ±4.29, p = 0.005) compared to the L-BPL group. The body weight, glucose and lipid metabolic parameters decreased over time and then remained essentially stable from the first year in both groups. Two years after surgery, the remission (HbA1c% ≤ 6%) of T2DM was 31.2% in the S-BPL group and 37.5% in the L-BPL group (p = 0.685). Conclusions With consistent total small bowel bypass (AL + BPL) lengths, lengthening of the BPL from 30 to 100 cm did not affect the post-RYGB glycemic control and weight loss.