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Biomedical subjects

Michael Schweitzer

Publications and source records attributed to Michael Schweitzer.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Postcholecystectomy syndrome in the laparoscopic era.

sWe describe the management of a cystic duct remnant calculus in a 45-year-old male patient who had undergone a laparoscopic cholecystectomy and re-presented with abdominal pain and jaundice. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography was utilized to confirm the diagnosis of an impacted calculus within the remnant cystic duct along with several small retained common bile duct stones. Four sequential endoscopic procedures successfully removed all retained common bile duct calculi to alleviate the biliary obstruction; however, we were unable to treat the cystic duct remnant calculus endoscopically. The patient finally underwent successful laparoscopic excision of a 2.5-cm cystic duct remnant containing its impacted calculus. It remains unclear if cystic duct remnant calculi may become more prevalent as a cause of postcholecystectomy syndrome in future due to the large numbers of laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed in the past 2 decades.

Bile Duct Diseases↗

Bariatric surgery.

Bariatric surgery is currently the only effective long-term treatment of morbid obesity and its related co-morbidities. Gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding, and duodenal switch with biliopancreatic diversion are the three most common operations performed in the United States to induce sustained weight loss. Patient selection is important since compliance postoperatively leads to a successful outcome in over 80% of patients. Preoperative psychological and behavioral problems may lead to maladaptive eating habits postoperatively that defeat the purpose of the surgery. To date, we do not have a 100% reliable method of profiling patients who will fail to keep weight off for the long term. It is therefore important that patients who have preoperative psychological problems that may lead to failure to lose or keep weight off after surgery are offered postoperative counseling along with group support.

Bariatric Surgery↗

Endoscopic intraluminal suture plication of the gastric pouch and stoma in postoperative Roux-en-Y gastric bypass patients.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic intraluminal suturing is currently used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease. This new field of intraluminal gastric surgery may benefit postoperative Roux-en-Y gastric bypass patients. While gastric bypass is highly successful in the majority of patients, significant weight regain can occur over time due to stretching of the gastric pouch and stoma. METHODS: Between November 2002 and January 2003, four patients who previously underwent gastric bypass (GBP) surgery presented with dilated gastrojejunostomy (GJ) anastomosis and weight regain. They gave their consent and were taken to the operating room for upper endoscopy, where they were placed under general anesthesia. Using a flexible endoscopic suturing device with a standard 11-mm endoscope, the dilated GJ anastomosis was plicated to reduce its size, and in two of the patients the gastric pouch was also plicated. RESULTS: Successful stomal plication was performed on all four patients to narrow their dilated stomas that measured > 2 cm preoperatively to < 15 mm postoperatively. Patients were told to go on a puree diet for 4 weeks. One patient had a repeat procedure due to rupture of one suture after eating solid food two weeks after the surgery. The stoma was then plicated with 3 sutures. Two patients had their gastric pouch plicated near the stoma. All patients to date report feeling full earlier with decrease caloric consumption and subsequent weight loss. CONCLUSION: Upper endoscopic intraluminal suturing represents a new field of emerging technology that will certainly find its role in the postoperative bariatric patient. Both the gastric pouch and stoma are within reach for endoscopic intraluminal therapy. How it can aid our patients is currently being studied.

Anastomosis, Roux-en-Y↗

Race and comorbid factors predict nonalcoholic fatty liver disease histopathology in severely obese patients.

PURPOSE: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common and potentially serious form of chronic liver disease. Although NAFLD is known to be associated with obesity and some comorbid conditions, less is known about the severity of NAFLD among different racial groups. METHODS: We prospectively studied 237 consecutive morbidly obese patients presenting for bariatric surgery. All patients underwent intraoperative liver biopsy and chart review. After excluding subjects who reported alcohol use (n = 37) or who had missing biopsy data (n = 11), 189 patients were available for analysis. Clinical and laboratory associations with each of the histological components of NAFLD were assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean age was 43.1 years, 84% were female, and 13% were African American. It was found that 88% had steatosis, including 35% with moderate to severe steatosis (> 33% of hepatocytes involved). Of these patients, 67% had inflammation, 46% had fibrosis, and 45% met Brunt's criteria for NASH. Compared with Caucasians and after adjustment, African Americans had significantly lower odds of severe hepatic pathology, with adjusted odds ratios of 0.1 (P = .02) for the presence of moderate or severe steatosis, 0.2 for inflammation (P = .006), 0.3 for fibrosis (P = .05), and 0.2 for NASH (P = .02). In addition, participants with one or more features of the metabolic syndrome (ie, diabetes, hypertension, or dyslipidemia) or elevated aminotransferase levels had significantly higher odds of severe hepatic histopathology. CONCLUSION: Among obese patients presenting for bariatric surgery, NAFLD is more common in Caucasians, patients with features of the metabolic syndrome, and those with elevated aminotransferase levels.

Adult↗