Introduction
Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has rapidly become increasingly popular in bariatric surgery. However, in the long-term follow-up, weight loss failure and intractable severe acid reflux after primary LSG can necessitate further interventions.
Objectives
The aim of our study was to evaluate long term results (5 years) following resleeve gastrectomy (ReSG).
Setting
Private hospital, France
Methods
The study included all patients with failure after LSG who underwent ReSG between October 2008 and January 2014. The patients underwent radiological evaluation and an algorithm of treatment was proposed. We have analyzed the 5-years outcome concerning weight loss and long-term complications after ReSG.
Results
Fifty-two patients (46 women; mean age 40.2 years) with a mean Body Mass Index (BMI) of 39.4 Kg/m² underwent ReSG. The mean interval time from the primary LSG to ReSG was of 27.8 months (11-72 months). The indication for ReSG was inadequate weight loss - 28 patients (53.8 %), weight regain – 22 patients (42.3%), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) - 2 patients. In 35 cases the gastrografin swallow results were interpreted as primary dilatation and in the remaining 17 cases as secondary dilatation. One patient died from gynecological cancer. Of the remainder, 3 patients underwent Single Anastomosis Duodeno-Ileal Bypass (SADI), 5 patients underwent a Roux en Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB), 1 patient underwent a second ReSG for reflux. Thirty-nine out of 42 patients with ReSG as definitive procedure had available data at 5 years-follow-up. The mean percentage of excess BMI loss was 63.7%. Out of the 39 patients, 28 patients (71.8 % of patients) had >50% Excess BMI Loss (EBMIL) at 5 years. Eight out of the 11 patients with weight loss failure (<50% EBMIL) after ReSG were diagnosed with secondary or diffuse dilation on preoperative imaging; the remaining 3 patients had been operated in our early initial experience with the resleeve procedure. All cases were completed by laparoscopy with no intraoperative incidents. In terms of complications we recorded: one leak, two stenosis and two bleedings with no mortality.
Conclusions
At 5 years postoperative, the ReSG as a definitive bariatric procedure remained effective for 53.8 %. The results appear to be more favorable especially for the non-super-obese patients and for those with primary dilatation. ReSG is a well-tolerated bariatric procedure with a low long-term complication rate. Further prospective clinical trials are required to compare the outcomes of ReSG with those of RYGB or SADI for weight loss failure after LSG.