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The database of patients who underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass at our institution from 2002 to 2008 was reviewed. Five patients with kidney transplants were found. The impact of the laparoscopic gastric bypass on their comorbidities and the grafts and patients' survival were studied. The five patients of the group are between 36 and 66 years old, three men and two women. Preoperative body mass index ranged between 35 and 42 kg/m(2). The first patient was operated on 4 years ago and presented an anastomotic leak at the gastrojejunal anastomosis that healed with medical treatment. The remaining four patients did not present postoperative complications. At the moment of analysis, the five patients were healthy and enjoying a good quality of life. All the patients had dyslipidemia which reached normal levels after surgery. Three of the patients had diabetes and achieved good control after the surgery. Most importantly, the absorption of immune suppressors was not altered; while some of the patients were even able to reduce their doses. Patients with renal terminal renal diseases and those with renal transplants with severe or morbid obesity are a group that can particularly benefit from a gastric bypass. The laparoscopic gastric bypass is feasible in severely or morbidly obese patients with kidney transplantation. The absorption of the immune-suppressive medication is not altered after a gastric bypass.

Positive FOBT results may indicate the presence of either upper or lower intestinal pathology, and bidirectional endoscopy is an efficient and accurate technique for the comprehensive evaluation of occult bleeding.

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Major bleeding from the small intestine is uncommon and difficult to localize. We examined its etiologies and assessed available diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The records of all adults undergoing operation for small intestinal hemorrhage over a 10-year period (1/89–12/98) were reviewed. There were eight men and four women with a mean age of 54 years. Six patients presented with arteriovenous malformations. Preoperative diagnosis was by endoscopy (three of six), scintigraphy (two of two), and/or angiography (two of six). Intraoperative panendoscopy was used for localization in 5 cases. Three other patients had tumors (leiomyoma, leiomyosarcoma, and adenocarcinoma) by CT scan (two) and/or scintigraphy (two). All were resected but one patient died of recurrence. Two patients underwent resection of a Meckel's diverticulum, one after angiographic diagnosis. Another patient with Crohn's disease had a positive angiogram and colonoscopy before resection. There were no operative deaths but major morbidity occurred in five patients (42%) and hospitalization averaged 17 days. We conclude that jejunoileal lesions are a rare cause of intestinal bleeding but can be associated with substantial morbidity. Arteriovenous malformations and tumors remain the most common causes. An accurate diagnosis and definitive management depend on selective preoperative imaging and judicious operative exploration.