The third day of the XIX Brazilian Congress of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, promoted in Fortaleza by the SBCBM, was marked by intense debate between Brazilian and foreign surgeons on bariatric techniques, weight recidivism, surgery results in the treatment of diabetes, possible complications, among others subjects.
Dr. Philip Schauer (USA), head of the bariatric surgery program at The Cleveland Clinic, was one of the foreign physicians invited to participate in the debates held at the Jericoacoara Auditorium of the Ceará Events Center. With particular areas of expertise, including laparoscopic and gastrointestinal surgery, in addition to bariatric surgery, which includes gastric bypass and adjustable gastric band techniques, Dr. Schauer commented on the “Vertical Gastrectomy and Bipartition”, a surgical technique invented by the Brazilian physician Dr. Sérgio Santoro. About the debate, he pointed out that his main comments were about the fact that the technique is still a relatively new procedure, with very little scientific publications on its results.
“My conclusion is that this technique should definitely be considered an experimental surgery. There should be more research on the Vertical Gastrectomy and Bipartition performed by different surgeons, in order to better assess the safety of the procedure and its long-term results, based on a larger amount of patients”, Dr. Schauer said.
He also pointed out that the most relevant aspect of his lectures was on the results of his famous “Stampede Trial,” a work developed with the help of his colleagues in Cleveland, and published last year. “The study compared the gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy with the medication therapy for type 2 diabetes. It is currently the first and largest randomized controlled trial comparing surgical techniques with medical therapy, with 5-year results”, he explained. According to him, the study has proven that the surgery has effective results in the treatment of the disease, with significant improvements in blood sugar, in triglycerides, in HDO cholesterol, in body weight and in the quality of life of all patients in general, besides the reduction in medication requirements.
