Why Choose The Fobi-Pouch Operation

Now used worldwide, the Fobi-Pouch Gastric Bypass procedure is recommended by physicians for several important reasons:
- The divided pouch is easy to intubate, less likely to stretch, and gives patients a feeling of being full much sooner
- The pouch shifts only minimally during normal activities, and staple line breakdown has not been a problem it is with gastroplasty. There have been no reports of ulcers developing.
- The pouch uses a longer band, between 5.5 cm and 6.5 cm in diameter, creating a stoma with a limited opening that permits gastric emptying, called dumping—but not severe dumping. Dilatation of the stoma is prevented.
- The likelihood of leaks and abscesses is minimized.
- The procedure markedly decreases the rate at which the gastric outlet narrows.
- Temporary feeding and administration of medication is available if the need arises.
- Easy access to examine the bypassed stomach radiologically or endoscopically is permitted, and access for tube feeding is allowed in the rare case of excessive weight loss.

Historically, other procedures have resulted in multiple areas of concern, each of them resolved by the Fobi-Pouch procedure. These include acute gastric enlargement either with or without perforation; leaks; difficulty for physicians to visualize the size and dimensions of the pouch; and acute bowel obstruction.

In summary, operating time even in the hands of skilled surgeons is roughly double that required to complete a banded gastroplasty operation. Complications have been seen prior to discharge in about 10% of 1,000 patients. However, the significant weight loss and low repeat rate make the Fobi-Pouch Operation a preferred procedure compared with more restrictive operations.