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Endoscopic Therapy of Post-Bariatric Surgery Strictures, Leaks, and Fistulas

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Abstract

Bariatric surgery allows for rapid, often sustained weight loss and effective treatment of the comorbidities associated with morbid obesity. Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) are the most common bariatric surgical procedures performed in the United States. Leaks, fistulas, and strictures are complications that can occur in a non-negligible minority of these patients. Staple line leaks and strictures are potentially highly morbid events, which historically required operative therapy. While leaks tend to occur in the early postoperative period, and their management is dependent upon the timing and patient condition, strictures tend to manifest more as a chronic and progressively worsening entity. Endoscopy is an integral part of the multimodal approach required to diagnose and treat these occurrences, and today’s therapeutic endoscopic armamentarium offers several devices that can assist in the management of these challenging situations.

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Filicori, F., Swanström, L.L. (2020). Endoscopic Therapy of Post-Bariatric Surgery Strictures, Leaks, and Fistulas. In: Wagh, M., Wani, S. (eds) Gastrointestinal Interventional Endoscopy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21695-5_15

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