Some Bariatric Procedures Do Not Raise Stone Risk

Unlike Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) procedures, restrictive bariatric surgery does not appear to be associated with an increased risk for kidney stones, a study found.

The study included 18 patients, of whom 14 underwent gastric banding and four underwent sleeve gastrectomy. The subjects collected 24-hour urine specimens. At least six months had elapsed between their surgery and urine collection. The investigators compared these patients with a group of routine stone formers, normal non-stone-forming adults, and RYGB patients.

Urinary oxalate excretion of the restrictive surgery cohort was significantly less than the RYGB cohort (35.4 vs. 60.7 mg/day), but not significantly different from that of the routine stone formers (37.2 mg/day) and the normal subjects (32.9 mg/day), investigators reported in Urology (2010;76:826-829).

From the November 01, 2010 Issue of Renal and Urology News