Background: The aim of the study is to look at laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy as a procedure with intent to cure morbid obesity. Secondary endpoints are related to the safety profile of the procedure.
Methods: This is a prospective clinical study conducted in a single university surgical clinic.
Results: Two hundred sixty-one patients (2.5:1 female to male ratio, median age of 37 years) underwent sleeve gastrectomy. Median preoperative body mass index (BMI) was 45.2 kg/m(2). Mortality and morbidity rates were 0.7% and 8.4%, respectively. Risk factors for postoperative complications were history of diabetes mellitus under medical treatment (OR, 4.0; p = 0.014) and prior bariatric operation on the same patient (OR, 5.7, p = 0.034). Median follow-up was 12 months (range 1-29 months). A BMI > 50 kg/m(2) is connected with greater weight loss. Analysis of the percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) during follow-up at specific time intervals showed a rapid increase for the first 12 months followed by a more gradual rise thereafter. The median %EWL for the first year of follow-up was 65.7 (range 33.8-102.3). The median BMI for the patients that had completed at least 1 year of follow-up was 30.5 kg/m(2) (range 21.2-42.7). The overall success rate after the first year was 74.3% when accounted for %EWL > 50 and 81.7% for BMI < 35 kg/m(2).
Conclusions: The actual long-term efficacy of the procedure remains to be confirmed. Morbidity rates may prove higher than expected especially during the learning curve.