Bariatric surgery versus conservative management for morbidly obese patients in Spain: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Background: We assessed the cost-effectiveness of bariatric surgery (BS) versus conservative management (CM) for treating morbid obesity in Spain.

Methods: We developed a probabilistic Markov model to estimate health outcomes, quality-adjusted life years (QALY), life years gained (LYG), and costs over lifetime and 10-year horizons. Combined common BS procedures were compared with CM.

[Laparoscopic biopsy of non-digestive intra-abdominal masses].

Introduction: Laparoscopic surgery offers an alternative diagnostic technique in multiple diseases requiring biopsy of non-digestive intra-abdominal masses in which image-guided biopsy cannot be performed. Laparoscopic biopsy aims to reduce the surgical aggression and complications associated with laparotomy and favors the early treatment of malignancies.

Patients And Method: We performed a retrospective descriptive study of our results in a series of patients in our hospital with intra-abdominal masses of unknown etiology who underwent laparoscopic surgery between January 2001 and April 2006.