title: Histological findings in the liver before and after gastric bypass.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bariatric surgery results in massive loss of excess weight, changes in co-morbidities and improvement in quality of life. In these patients, liver histology taken before or during surgery reveals several histological abnormalities. In a prospective study of patients previously submitted to gastric bypass, we determined the changes in liver histology late after the surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 16 out of a total of 557 patients who were submitted to open gastric bypass, a second liver biopsy was taken during the repair of an incisional hernia, performed at a mean of 17 months after the gastric bypass.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients had lost weight, now having a mean BMI of 28.6 kg/m(2) (which had been 44.3 kg/m(2) before gastric bypass). One patient with normal pre-operative liver histology remained normal at the second study. 11 out of 15 who had had liver abnormalities returned to a normal condition or had only minimal change (73.3%). 2 patients (13.3%) showed improvement, while 1 patient presented a slight worsening of liver condition. One patient who had had liver cirrhosis showed no change.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gastric bypass for morbid obesity is followed by a dramatic improvement or normalization of liver histological abnormalities in the great majority of the patients. Liver cirrhosis in the one patient remained unchanged.
authors: Department of Surgery, Clinical Hospital University of Chile, Santos Dumont 999, Santiago, Chile. acsendes@med.uchile.cl
authors: Attila
authors: A
authors: Csendes
authors: Gladys
authors: G
authors: Smok
authors: Ana Maria
authors: AM
authors: Burgos