Sleeve Gastrectomy: Indications and Results

Laparoscopic technics development and obesity incidence joined to drugs inefficiency explains a huge augmentation of surgical procedures performed the last twenty years. Banding, then Masson, then by pass round turns developed. The literature review learns that more efficient a technique is, more morbidity and mortality grow. The sleeve gastrectomy is vertical two third part gastrectomy. This technique adds restrictive and hormonal action (lowering Ghrelin blood concentration and elevation of GLP1 and PYY). HAS (Haute Autorité de Santé) validated this technique as a standalone technique in 2008. Gastric resection is performed with staplers which resect major part of fundus and antrum. The essential advantages of sleeve gastrectomy are numerous: Weight loss long term efficiency (46 to 70 % of excess weight loss), huge metabolic act (45 to 65 % DT2 long term remission), quality of life augmented, low incidence of severe complications represented by very rare late gastric fistulas and gastro esophageal reflux needing by-pass conversion, less technical complexity than by-pass. No foreign body in contact with gastric pouch, no internal gastro-intestinal derivation, so no difficulty to access to duodenum, no need to repeated gastric control for gastric calibration are pointed.Disadvantages of this intervention are less numerous. Post-operative morbidity is constituted by fistula occurrence on staple line (0 to 5 %), which healing can be long. Gastric stenosis and gastric blooding are rare and can be prevented by rigorous surgical technique and staple line reinforcement. Mortality rate is between 0.1 % and 0.3% in more recent data. Gastro esophageal reflux is the more frequent long time complication (15 to 35 %) and can need a PPI daily treatment and regular endoscopic control.All these factors explain the quick expansion of this intervention across the world. More than 24 500 procedures were performed in France during 2013. (440 000 bariatric procedures) (PMSI’s data).In conclusion, the very interesting risk/benefit balance explains that nowadays sleeve gastrectomy is the more frequently performed procedure in France and in numerous countries, including USA.