Sleeve Gastrectomy with Duodenal Transit Bipartition (S-DTB): Preliminary Results and Technical Aspects of Its Metabolic Structure

Obesity is a significant and escalating health issue both in Brazil and globally, with over 650 million overweight adults worldwide. The treatment of obesity can be performed clinically, endoscopically or surgically;surgical treatment proves to be safe and more effective in terms of weight loss and long-term maintenance. Objective: This study aimed to monitor the progress of weight loss and comorbidity control in patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy with duodenal bipartition. Methods: This pilot project involved 8 patients divided into 2 arms. In the first arm, patients underwent sleeve gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y duodenoileal transit bipartition (S-RYDITB), while in the second arm, patients underwent sleeve gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y duodenojejunal transit bipartition (S-RYDJTB). Both procedures involved Roux-en-Y reconstruction without duodenal exclusion. In S-RYDITB, the duodenal-ileal anastomosis was performed 300 cm from the ileocecal valve (ICV), creating a 250 cm common channel and a 50 cm alimentary channel. In S-RYDJTB, a biliopancreatic loop was created 200 cm from the angle of Treitz, with a 1 m alimentary channel. Results: Five patients underwent the procedures, with one undergoing S-RYDITB and four undergoing S-RYDJTB. No adverse events such as hospitalizations, readmissions, reoperations, fistulas, bleeding, pulmonary embolism, diarrhea, dumping syndrome, or hypoglycemia occurred during the study period. The mean length of hospital stay was 2 days. The average BMI decreased from 37.27 kg/m2 preoperatively to 29.48 kg/m2 after 6 months. The significant percentage of weight loss was 21.22%, with excess weight loss of 63.6%. Ninety-five percent remission of comorbidities, including hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, diabetes, hypertension, steatosis, and pre-diabetes. Two patients underwent sleeve gastrectomy with duodenal bipartition using a single anastomosis. Conclusion: Duodenal switch surgery has gained worldwide recognition for its safety and efficacy in treating obesity and its associated comorbidities. In efforts to maintain the positive outcomes of the classic technique while minimizing adverse effects such as malnutrition and diarrhea, modifications to the original procedure have been proposed. Among these adaptations, Sleeve gastrectomy with bipartition of duodenal transit (S-DTB) emerges as a promising variant, offering alternative strategies to optimize patients’ nutritional safety while preserving endoscopic access to the duodenum. Initial results of S-DTB, whether performed in Roux-en-Y or single anastomosis (loop) configuration without intestinal exclusions, demonstrate the procedure’s safety and effectiveness in managing obesity and its comorbidities.