The significance of gastric pouch size and emptying time for results of gastric surgery for massive obesity.

The volume of the upper gastric pouch, the function of the draining channel and the pouch emptying time were examined with standardized technique in 15 patients during and after gastric surgery for massive obesity. Postoperatively the upper pouch was found to increase in volume up to fourfold compared to the value obtained at operation. The patients with the best clinical results showed the greatest increase in pouch size, indicating a tendency to outlet stenosis. This change was evident also from longer pouch draining time in these patients. A method for securing permanently slow drainage of the upper pouch seems to be a major problem in gastric surgery for obesity.