Prompt Treatment of Intestinal Obstruction after Biliopancreatic Diversion can Save the Intestinal Loop

Bariatric surgery is becoming an accepted method for weight reduction. Biliopancreatic diversion is reserved for high initial BMI. With the increasing number of these procedures, the reports of complications become more important and prepare a wider range of specialties to deal with them. We report a 62-year-old woman who developed a volvulus of the biliopancreatic loop after a biliary diversion operation with a sleeve gastrectomy and antro-ileal anastomosis. Symptoms of biliopancreatic loop obstruction are rather vague, presenting with atypical abdominal pain, nausea, sometimes vomiting, preserved bowel motility, stool, and gas passage and normal upper GI X-ray. Due to the patient’s prompt reaction and straight referral to a bariatric surgeon, freeing of the loop was enough to maintain its viability. The patient’s further recovery and follow-up were uneventful. With this case, we stress the importance of an expert in such cases and a need to consider familiarizing doctors with these patients and with the peculiarities of their treatment.