[ragdolldude]

ON doing limited research on google today, it appears that the RNY of today was first performed about 10 years ago. I also read that variations of today's RNY had been done prior to that. Any docs out there--when was the RNY that is today first performed?? What did they call any previous versions of surgery that evolved into RNY??

[DocSanae]

The original RNY was devised by Cesar Roux(1857-1934) who was a Swiss surgeon. Look up Roux-en-Y anastomosis, Roux-en-Y operation. It is a method to bypass the duodenum and the jejunum, the first portion of the small intestines, and used in reconstruction for stomach cancer, where the entire stomach, or most of the stomach, needs to be taken out, and this is still listed in textbooks so it's still in use.

Somebody had the bright idea that stomach surgery may help the obese, as a lot of patients who had part or all of the stomach removed for one reason or another--back in those days, this was mostly for cancer and recurrent ulcers--would lose a certain amount of weight, in some cases, a considerable amount, and keep it off.

I haven't looked up the history of weight loss surgery, but from what I know, the very first surgeries specifically for weight loss was performed in the '70s. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last August on long term mortality followed patients who underwent RNY gastric bypass between 1984-2002, so from there, I think you can conclude that the earliest form of RNY bypass for wieght loss was established by 1984.

First, it was done open, then as lap surgery, which first became popular for gall bladder removal in the ' 80s, spread, lap surgery became the norm.

CraigT, the host of this site, had open RNY in May 1997. He told me that his surgeon wasn't doing lap RNY back then--he is now--and that from what I know open was the norm then. Only a few surgeons were doing lap back then. It's probably around 5-6 years since the ratio of open and lap reversed, but I'm not really sure since I haven't checked the stats, it's just the impression I get from the numbers of people stating what kind of surgery they had, and when their surgeries were.

So, present day RNY has been around for more than 20 years. The finer points would have been revised and refined, as medicine is ever evolving, and there is no end point for the development for any procedure. Open to lap, the length of the bypass, sutures, staples, the dietary program during recovery, pysch support during recovery, etc etc.

[Kenyar]

doc to the rescue

[amina6ae]

how interesting!!!!

[qt82699]

i agree that is interseting!