Does any one knows the Complication rate of Dr Ungson or Dr Antelmo sasso

Hi there,

Does any of you fellows know the complication rate of Dr Gilberto Ungson or Dr Antelmo Sasso.
I am 238 lbs right now i am 5' 10" , i am 25 years old and gaining rapidly my higest was 240 when i got the band when i had it temoved i was 178 just two months out and already 238 lbs.
I am leaning towards Ungson since there is no visa to get into mexico.
For me the most important thing is how much common channel would be suitable for me???Any suggestions

 
I don't know if Dr. Ungson would do the DS on you; your BMI is just 34.1 and that isn't high enough to qualify for the DS. To qualify you need a BMI of 40 or 35 with co-morbidity's.

Common channel length is just one thing to consider, and it should be calculated according to the total length of your small intestine. You also need to consider how long to make the biliary and alimentary limb length and how big to make your sleeve.

Since you're in Canada, if I were you, I would consult with Dr. Gagner in Montreal before I did anything else.

Kerry

I had surgery with Doctors Aceves and Ungson who have low complication rates. They do a 100 CC length and I'm not sure what the cut-off is for BMI... contact them.

The common channel/sleeve size/alimentary limb percentage thing is something to discuss with your surgeon. I am a proponent of the Hess method, but it's not my decision to make.

Different surgeons have different success rates if you look back at their patients and see how the weight loss curves go. Dr. Ungson has good stats in this regard and excellent stats in regard to complications, particularly given the fact that he takes on very high risk patients.

Hi,

If believe Dr. Ungson's complication rate is extremely low.  I had none post surgery.   I was 60 when I had surgery with him.

1st off I like Dr. Ungson,  think he is a good surgeon, had good care but some things went wrong when I was there.

I had an old stomach stapling done in 1990.  I had an upper gi done and the radiologist said he didn't see any staples or could not tell anything was done to my stomach.

Dr. Ungson told me when he looked at my upper gi that he thought he could do the ds.  I told him I do not want to travel to Mexico for an rny or anything else.  He understood and thought he could give me what I wanted. 

Even on the way to the surgery room I was assured that I would get the DS.  He did tell me earlier that scar tissue could be a factor but still thought he could give me a DS.

I was in surgery 4 1/2 hours per Ungson. (Long for Ungson)

When I woke up he told me that he nicked my spleen and had to remove it.  UGH!!

He also told me that I had too much scar tissue and could not do the DS and instead gave me a scopinaro procedure.  Don't know if you know anything about that procedure but this board will tell you that it is BAD, BAD BAD.

I have lost all my weight and have a 21.0 bmi so i'm happy about that.

My labs are declining and I am having my first iron infusion next week,  don't know if that is related to my surgery or not. It could have happened even if I got the ds but the long term isn't good news for me.   I'm a little over a year out so too soon to tell.

Dr. Ungson gave me a 100 common channel.  I'm 5'11" and weigh between 159 & 163 consistently an effortlessly.  I weighed about 265 at time of surgery.  I have had no complications except if you want to count my labs.

These are the facts surrounding my surgery and don't want to discourage you from Ungson.  I still think he is a fine surgeon but DAMN sure wish I had gotten the ds.

If you think you have a lot of scar tissue ask him how he approaches that.

Darlene

Oh hell no Darlene, I had no idea that is what happened to you. It has been well about a year since we talked and wow, when did you find out about the Scopinaro thingy you had done? I hope you fare well my friend. Keep a positive attitude.
Karen

I know people on the boards talk positive about Dr Ungson, but I donot personally know any of them, other than conversations on the board.

I  do know many people who have gone to Dr Antelmo. I was going  to go to him for my revision if insurance said no to paying for it... but then to my shock they agreed to pay !  Of everyone who I know who has gone to Dr Antelmo, one had major complications. Dr Antelmo pulled that person thru.

I would go and join his yahoo group. Lots of info there. You can email him directly and he or his wife ( Dr Flavia) will answer your questions personally and then you can decide. I would not let the cost of a VISA make up my mind by any means. I do know Dr Antelmo will taylor the DS to your individual needs.

Look at the exchange rate as well. Earlier this week USD to Reais was $1US  to $1.77 R,,, not sure was it would be in Canadian dollar, but something to look at for comparison, you might be surprised.

His yahoo group is here: 
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Dr_Antelmo_Sasso_DS/?yg uid=204075911

Best of luck in your research ! 

I can personally highly recommend Dr. Ungson. He has a very low complication rate and he does take on many high risk cases. I would suggest that you email your questions and concerns to him. My common channel is 100cm.

Dr. Ungson is a highly renowned surgeon with a very low complication rate especially considering the high risk/high BMI cases he takes on regularly.

I was a relative lightweight with a BMI of only 41.5 and he first suggested just the VSG because of that and the fact that I had cancer at the time. I discussed my past diet attempts in depth with him and explained to him why I needed the malabsorption component in order to lose weight and he ultimatey agreed with me. Just to give you fair warning that, given your lower BMI, you may have to convince him via your history and knowledge of DS nutritional requirements, to give you the DS.

I'd recommend emailing him and opening up a dialogue with him about your concerns.

My common channel is 100cm. Frankly, for the surgeons whose patients have a successful track record of losing their excess weight (such as Ungson), they should be left alone to do what they do best: the DS their own way. This is what they are paid for, not nutritional advice, not follow up. You want a successful DS. Don't try to micromanage it. Sure, discuss the length with him, but at the end of the day, let HIM make that decision.

Meanwhile, I had a wonderful experience in Mexico. Better care I have ever witnessed or received in a USA hospital. There is a review on the left side of my profile.

Feel free to pm me if you have any further questions.