The role of bariatric surgery in morbidly obese patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Background Bariatric surgery is considered as being contraindicated for morbidly obese patients who also have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of our study was to report the outcomes of bariatric surgery in morbidly obese IBD patients. Methods The prospectively collected data of all the patients diagnosed as having IBD who underwent bariatric operations in 2 medical centers between October 2006 and January 2014 were retrieved and analyzed. Results One male and 9 female morbidly obese IBD patients (8 with Crohn's disease and 2 with ulcerative colitis) underwent bariatric surgery. Their mean age was 40 years, and their mean body mass index was 42.6 kg/m². Nine of them underwent a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and 1 underwent a laparoscopic adjustable gastric band. Eight patients had obesity-related co-morbidities, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, osteoarthropathy, etc. After a median follow-up of 46 months (range 9-67), all of the patients lost weight, with an excess weight loss of 71%, and 10 out of 16 obesity-related co-morbidities were resolved. There was 1 complication not related to IBD, and no IBD exacerbation. Conclusion Bariatric surgery was safe and effective in our morbidly obese IBD patients. The surgical outcome in this selected patient group was similar to that of comparable non-IBD patients.