Lipoedema is a disorder of adipose tissue that is characterized by abnormal subcutaneous fat deposition, leading to swelling and enlargement of the lower limbs as well as the trunk. This entity is often misdiagnosed as lymphoedema or obesity and, therefore, may be overlooked and missed in patients scheduled for bariatric surgery. Patients with lipoedema who undergo bariatric surgery may have to continue to have extensive lower extremity and trunk adiposity despite adequate weight loss. In this report, we present two patients who had extensive trunk and lower extremity adiposity, one of them before and the other after the bariatric surgery.

This study shows that all bariatric patients with vitamin B12 levels between 140 and 200 pmol/L benefit clinical and biochemical from vitamin B12 supplementation, regardless the MMA levels.

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BackgroundThe respiratory function is affected by obesity due to an increased deposition of fat on the chest wall. The objective of this study was to investigate the strength of the inspiratory respiratory muscles of obese individuals and the possible influence of bariatric surgery on it by measuring the maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP).MethodsPatients referred to a bariatric centre between the 3rd of October 2011 and the 3rd of May 2012 were screened preoperatively by a multidisciplinary team. Their MIP was measured at screening and 3, 6 and 9 months postoperative. In case of a preoperative MIP lower than 70% of predicted pressure training was provided supervised by a physiotherapist.ResultsThe mean age of 124 included patients was 42.9 ± 11.0 years and mean BMI was 43.1 ± 5.2 kg/m2. The mean predicted MIP preoperatively was 127 ± 31 in cm H2O and the mean measured MIP was 102 ± 24 in cm H2O. Three patients (2.4%) received training. Three months after surgery the MIP was 76 ± 26 cm H2O, after 6 months 82 ± 28 cm H2O and after 9 months 86 ± 28 cm H2O. All postoperative measurements were significant lower than preoperatively (P < 0.05). The only influencing factor for the preoperative MIP was age (p = 0.014).ConclusionThe preoperative MIP values were significantly lower than the predicted MIP values, probably due to altered respiratory mechanics.

Lipoedema is a progressive disorder that is characterized by an abnormal distribution of subcutaneous adipose tissue, which results in a disproportion between the extremities and the trunk. This vascular/dermatological disease might have a detrimental impact on psychosocial wellbeing and quality of life. In this article, we report on a patient with morbid obesity that had a Roux en-Y Gastric bypass with sufficient weight loss. However, due to this weight loss, an abnormal disproportion came to light. A dermatologist diagnosed lipoedema five years after the surgery. Eventually, she had a dermolipectomy of the upper arms, of which reimbursement was initially rejected by her insurance.