Helicobacter pylori Prevalence in Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Specimen

Frequency of Clinically Significant Findings in the Surgical Pathology Specimen Following Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy and Concordance with Preoperative Endoscopy: Insights from a Large Single-Center Experience

INTRODUCTION

Endoscopy prior to bariatric surgery is not always performed, and in sleeve gastrectomy (SG), the surgical specimen is not always sent for pathological examination. There is limited data on the frequency of clinically significant findings in SG specimens or correlation with preoperative endoscopy.

METHODS

We reviewed 426 consecutive SG patients to determine the concordance of preoperative endoscopy findings in patients with clinically significant postoperative pathology.

RESULTS

Preoperative endoscopy was performed on 397 patients (93.2%). Three hundred seventy-three patients had preoperative endoscopy and surgical pathology results available. Then, 20/373 (5.4%) patients had potentially significant postoperative pathology, including intestinal metaplasia, autoimmune metaplastic atrophic gastritis (AMAG), gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and/or gastric cancer. The overall incidence of AMAG in the entire cohort was 2.3%. Preoperative gastric biopsies (to include gastric body) identified AMAG in nearly 1/2 of patients. Patients with clinically significant postoperative pathology results had a median [interquartile range] of 3 [3-5] tissue blocks examined as compared to 3 [1-3] for the remainder of the cohort (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

This is one of the largest studies describing clinically significant postoperative pathology after SG. AMAG, in particular, is of particular importance as it is associated with a 3-fivefold increase in risk for gastric cancer. The incidence of significant postoperative pathology in this population is small but potentially clinically significant and requires validation in larger studies. We recommend wider sampling in preoperative endoscopy (body and antrum), especially in patients being planned for gastric bypass, consideration for routine pathological examination of SG surgical specimens, with careful gross examination and targeted sampling.

The presence of H. pylori in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy specimens is associated with increased mucosal thickness, presence of secondary follicles, increased chronic inflammation, and intestinal metaplasia

Helicobacter pylori is putatively present in over half of the global human population and is recognized as a carcinogenic agent that increases the likelihood of infected patients developing gastric adenocarcinoma or gastric lymphoma. Although there are several means for testing for H. pylori, the gold standard remains the invasive histologic evaluation. The current most popular form of bariatric surgery is the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) and is the only bariatric surgery which supplies a specimen for histologic evaluation. While non-invasive testing is effective in diagnosing and monitoring H. pylori infection, histological examination of biopsies and resections is the only way to grade chronic inflammation and evaluate specimens for additional pathologies such as intestinal metaplasia. The investigators evaluated 203 sequential LSG specimens collected from a major metropolitan hospital over the period of one year. Specimens were processed to paraffin, stained with hematoxylin and eosin, alcian blue, and immunohistochemistry to determine the presence of H. pylori, chronic inflammation, presence of secondary lymphoid follicles in the mucosa, mucosal thickness, and presence of intestinal metaplasia. Statistical analyses demonstrated a significant positive correlation among all factors examined. The overall positivity rate of H. pylori in LSG specimens was 18.2% but ranged from 6.9-23.8% depending on whether the treating clinician performed routine pre-surgical endoscopy. The presence of H. pylori was associated with a higher average chronic inflammation grade, intestinal metaplasia, thicker mucosa, and presence of lymphoid follicles with germinal centers in the mucosa.

Histopathological Findings in Turkish Patients Undergoing Sleeve Gastrectomy: Is Histopathologic Examination of Sleeve Gastrectomy Specimens Clinically Important?

PURPOSE

Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is a widely used surgical method in the treatment of obesity. This study aimed to reveal the histopathological changes in SG materials and to investigate the prevalence of clinically important lesions requiring follow-up.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Three hundred five patients' data who underwent SG were analyzed. Cases were divided into three groups as normal, chronic inactive gastritis (CIG), and chronic active gastritis (CAG). Age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) of the three groups and the differences in the gastritis parameters of CIG and CAG groups were compared.

RESULTS

Thirty-three patients (10.8%) were in the normal group, 145 (47.5%) were in the CIG group, and 127 (41.6%) were in the CAG group. Preoperative endoscopic examination was performed in all cases, but Helicobacter pylori (HP) treatment was not applied. HP were detected in 39.3%, atrophy in 3.9%, intestinal metaplasia (IM) in 4.9%, and lymphoid follicle (LF) in 30% of the cases. Inflammation, atrophy, IM, LF, and HP were significantly higher in the CAG group. The proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-related changes were seen in 20 cases and it was more frequent in the CIG group. Intramucosal signet ring cell carcinoma was detected in 1 case. Endocrine cell hyperplasia and dysplasia were present in 7 cases with CAG. Multiple grade 1 neuroendocrine tumors were detected in just 1 case.

CONCLUSION

In our SG specimens, HP and clinically important lesions were significantly higher in the CAG group. Pathological examination should be carefully done as the lesions detected in SG specimens can change patient management.

Preoperative Assessment of Patients Undergoing Bariatric Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction. Saudi Arabia (SA) is one of the top countries in the world when it comes to the number of bariatric procedures performed each year. There is still some debate on whether to do regular or selective upper endoscopy during the preoperative examination. The purpose of this study was to explore various endoscopic findings and Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients having laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) prior to surgery. Methods. We investigated a cohort of 132 patients referred to the endoscopy unit from the bariatric surgery outpatient clinic for prebariatric esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) as a part of preoperative LSG. Data extraction from medical records included clinical data such as body mass index (BMI), gastrointestinal symptoms (that include heartburn, regurgitation, epigastric pain, and nausea), medical comorbidities, and laboratory investigations. It included data about the endoscopic findings of EGD procedure as esophageal, gastric, and duodenal findings results as well as the results of biopsy specimens that were taken. Results. Out of 132 patients, 29 (22%) had a BMI of less than 40 kg/m2 whereas 103 (78%) had a BMI of 40 kg/m2 or above, with an average of $44.4\pm 6.4$  kg/m2. The average age of participants was $33.6\pm 10.4$ years. HP was detected in 36 patients (35.0%) with a slightly greater prevalence in patients with a higher BMI (33.7%) than in patients with lower BMI (35.0%). Collectively, 73 patients (55.7%) had positive endoscopic findings of various grades, sites, and combinations. Incompetent cardia (35.6%) was the most often seen esophageal finding, antral gastritis (34.1%) was the most frequently encountered gastric finding, and duodenitis 1st part was the commonest duodenal endoscopic finding (7.8%). Among asymptomatic patients, incompetent cardia was detected in 33.3%, antral gastritis was found in 30.1%, and around one-quarter of them were positive on HP testing (26.6%). Additionally, 16.1% of them had signs of reflux esophagitis, 17.2% had hiatal hernia, and 14.0% had nodular gastritis. Conclusion. The current study revealed a high prevalence of positive endoscopic findings as well as HP infection upon routine endoscopic examination among patients undergoing bariatric surgery even those who were asymptomatic from any gastrointestinal symptoms.

Helicobacter pylori-Related Metabolic Parameters and Premalignant Gastric Mucosa Histological Lesions in Swiss Bariatric Patients

Obesity, as a major risk factor of metabolic syndrome (MetS), represents a pandemic, especially in Western societies, and is considered a risk factor for malignancies. Helicobacter pylori (Hp), is a definite carcinogen with global distribution. We aimed to investigate, for the first time in Switzerland, the main gastric mucosa premalignant histological lesions of bariatric patients in correlation with MetS components and Hp Infection (Hp-I). By reviewing retrospectively 94304 patient cases, a total of 116 eligible patients having undergone bariatric surgery were identified. The mean patient age was 48.66 years. Hp(+) patients were 24% (28/116). Presence of gastric mucosa atrophy was documented in 8/28 Hp(+) patients (29%) and (2/88) Hp(-) ones (2%) (p = 0.006). Gastric mucosa intestinal metaplasia was observed in 14/28 (50%) Hp(+) patients versus 3/88 (3.4%) of Hp(-) group (p < 0.0001). Hp(+) patients exhibited statistically higher arterial hypertension (p = 0.033). The homeostatic model of assessment insulin resistance was also statistically significantly higher for the Hp(+) group (p < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis, including arterial hypertension, gastric mucosa atrophy, and intestinal metaplasia as variables, statistical significance remained only for intestinal metaplasia (p = 0.001). In conclusion, Hp-I is associated with premalignant gastric mucosa histologic lesions and MetS components, including arterial hypertension and IR. Further large-scale prospective studies are required to confirm these findings.