How Taking into Account the Pyloric Tonus Contributes to Treatment Success While Administering Gastric "Botulinum Toxin A" for Weight Loss.

[PURPOSE] To analyze how considering the structure of normotonic pylorus (NP) or hypotonic pylorus (HP) contributes to treatment success in patients administered gastric botulinum toxin A for weight loss.

[MATERIALS AND METHODS] We measured body mass indexes (BMIs) of the patients who applied for gastric botulinum toxin A (BTA) for weight loss, before and 6 months after the procedure. The patients' pylori were classified as normotonic pylorus (NP) if, during endoscopy, they had a normal peristaltic motion and was closing completely, and as hypotonic pylorus if they were not closing properly or were aperistaltic. We compared the patients' mean pre-operative and 6-month post-operative BMIs. The groups were compared using the chi-square test where a p ˂ 0.05 was considered significant.

[RESULTS] The study included 178 patients administered gastric BTA. In the assessment made without considering the pyloric structure, the mean BMI decreased from 34.76 ± 7.65 to 33.09 ± 7.80 kg/m, while the difference was not statistically significant (p ˂ 0.06). Conversely, in the analysis performed considering the structure of pylorus, the mean pre-operative BMI of the 45 patients with HP structure was 35.16 ± 7.07 kg/m which decreased to 35.11 ± 7.03 kg/m 6 months after the procedure; hence, the difference was not statistically significant (p ˂ 0.7). The mean pre-operative BMI of the 133 patients with NP structure, 34.63 ± 7.84 kg/m, decreased to 32.40 ± 8.05 kg/m 6 months after the procedure and the difference was statistically significant (p ˂ 0.05)*.

[CONCLUSION] We advise to be selective in BTA administration and to administer BTA to the patients who, endoscopically, have a NP structure.