Serious and frequent complications in surgeries for morbid obesity

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Despite the undeniable benefits of bariatric surgery utilized for the treatment of morbid obesities in recent years, the few will become clear that there is a price: a relatively high frequency of serious neurological complications, and, in most cases, irreversible. Around 10% of patients develop changes that affect the entire neuromuscular system, and may begin in a few months after surgery, or until 5 years later.

They can be encephalopathy, optic neuropathy, myelopathy, polyradiculoneuropathy, neuropathies and myopathies. Often occurs simultaneous involvement of more than one region of the nervous system and muscle. These problems can occur quickly, acute, or a more slow and insidious, always after a big loss of body weight.

When patients are subjected to supplementary feeding there is a slow and partial recovery of disability, but sequels remain in the majority of cases. These data were taken from the Article-Pocsine of Juhasz and colleagues in the journal Neurology 2007; 68:1843-1850.

Prof. Dr. Paulo Rogério M de Bittencourt, PhD

Revisado por Denise Furman em setembro de 2008

Traduzido e Adaptado por Paulo R. S. de Bittencourt em setembro de 2008