Abstract
Objective: Investigate the effect of a liquid diet, and of vertical banded gastroplasty, on gastro-oesophageal reflux in morbidly obese patients.
Design: Prospective study, patients being their own controls.
Setting: University hospital, Sweden.
Subjects: 25 morbidly obese patients, listed for vertical banded gastroplasty.
Interventions: 24 hour ambulatory intra-oesophageal pH-monitoring three weeks before operation and repeated after 10-14 days on a liquid very low calorie diet, and finally three weeks after operation, while still on a liquid very low calorie diet.
Main outcome measures: Percentage of time that pH in the oesophagus was ≤4.
Results: There were no changes in the amount of reflux, either after a liquid diet or after vertical banded gastroplasty.
Conclusions: Neither the liquid diet nor vertical banded gastroplasty alone had any appreciable effect on gastro-oesophageal reflux.