Complications following Bariatric Surgery

In recent years, the number of bariatric operations performed annually in the United States has increased dramatically, giving rise to a new set of challenges and postoperative complications that endoscopists will face. To perform endoscopy successfully and safely in these patients, gastroenterologists must become familiar with anatomic alterations created by bariatric surgery and the common adverse gastrointestinal symptoms and structural complications that can arise. This article will review the major bariatric operations, their postoperative complications, and techniques of diagnostic and therapeutic upper endoscopy in bariatric surgery patients.