Sleeve Gastrectomy Combined with Nissen Fundoplication as a Single Surgical Procedure, Is It Really Safe? A Case Report

A rare case report of late-onset phytobezoar formation following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: delayed redo bariatric surgery

Background

Phytobezoar formation is a complication of bariatric surgery and mostly occurs after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) operations. Here, we present an extremely rare case of late phytobezoar formation following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG).

Case presentation

A 52-year-old woman with a body mass index (BMI) of 40.7 kg/m² underwent LSG. Following persistent symptoms of nausea, vomiting, early satiety, and tremendous weight loss, endoscopy was performed, and gastric phytobezoar was detected at one-year post-operation. After endoscopic fragmentation, phytobezoar was removed by snare, and the patient later underwent redo bariatric surgery (conversion of LSG to LRYGB).

Conclusions

With an increase in the number of LSG procedures performed globally, and the late-onset nature of phytobezoar formation, more cases of this complication are expected to be detected in future. Long-term postoperative follow-up alongside applying surgical methods to avoid gastric stenosis are needed to reduce the chance of phytobezoar formation in patients undergoing LSG.

Is It Safe to Combine a Fundoplication to Sleeve Gastrectomy? Review of Literature

Background and Objectives: The rising numbers of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) procedures now being performed worldwide will likely be followed by an increasing number of patients experiencing gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). The purpose of the current review was to analyze in terms of safety different techniques of fundoplication used to treat GERD associated with LSG. Methods: An online search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE in December 2020 to identify articles reporting LSG and fundoplication. The following term combination was used: (sleeve, fundoplication), (sleeve, Nissen), (sleeve, Rossetti), (sleeve, Toupet) and (sleeve, Dor). The extracted information included details of the methods (e.g., retrospective case series), demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender), clinical characteristics, number of patients, rate of conversion, and postoperative outcomes. Results: A total of 154 studies were identified and after an assessment of title according to our exclusion criteria, 116 articles were removed. Of the 38 studies analyzed for full content review, a total of seven primary studies (487 patients) were identified with all inclusion criteria. Analyzing the different types of fundoplication used, we have identified: 236 cases of Nissen-Sleeve, 220 cases with modified Rossetti fundoplication, 31 cases of Dor fundoplication, and no case of Toupet fundoplication. The overall postoperative complication rate was 9.4%, with the most common reported complication being gastric perforation, 15 cases-3.1%. The second most common complication was bleeding identified in nine cases (1.8%) followed by gastric stenosis in six cases (1.2%). The mortality was nil. Conclusions: Different types of fundoplication associated with LSG appear to be a safe surgical technique with an acceptable early postoperative complication rate. Any type of fundoplication associated with LSG to decrease GERD should be evaluated cautiously while prospective clinical randomized trials are needed.

Sleeve gastrectomy with tailored 360° fundoplication according to Rossetti in patients affected by obesity and gastroesophageal reflux: a prospective observational study

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is the most frequently performed bariatric procedure. Recent studies demonstrated the correlation between LSG and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness of LSG + Rossetti antireflux fundoplication in patients affected by morbid obesity and GERD.

SETTING

High-volume bariatric center, Italy.

METHODS

This is a prospective, observational cohort study that enrolled 58 patients affected by obesity and GERD who underwent surgery. All the patients had a 12-month follow-up. Gastroscopies were performed preoperatively and at month 12 for 35 patients.

RESULTS

At 1 year after surgery, patients had a consistent decrease in body mass index, from 41.9 ± 4.6 kg/m² to 28.2 ± 3.7 kg/m². GERD improved in 97.1% of patients. Co-morbidities, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, respiratory dysfunction, and arthropathies improved as well. The visual analogue scale score regarding the global state of health increased significantly, from 58.1 ± 17.1% before surgery to 98.8 ± 4.1% at 1 year after surgery. Two patients had a fundoplication perforation and needed reparative surgery (3.5%). One patient had anemia that needed a blood transfusion (1.7%). Complications were reduced with a learning curve.

CONCLUSION

LSG + Rossetti fundoplication was shown to be a safe and effective intervention. It could be considered an option in obese patients affected by GERD. A longer follow-up is needed to establish the long-term outcomes.