Histopathologic findings on removed stomach after sleeve gastrectomy. Do they influence the outcome?

Effect of Histopathological Findings of Gastric Specimens Resected During Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy on Weight Loss Success: A Retrospective Analysis of 599 Patients

BACKGROUND

Even though there aren't enough studies on long-term outcomes, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is the most common procedure among weight loss surgeries. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the histopathological results of resected stomach specimens of patients who underwent LSG and to analyze the effect of histopathological results on weight loss success.

METHODS

The patients were divided into two groups according to histopathological results of the pathology specimens: abnormal (chronic active gastritis, chronic inactive gastritis, neoplasias) and normal. If the excess weight loss percentage (EWL%) values were over 70% at the end of the first year following LSG, the patients were considered successful in terms of weight loss. The groups were compared in terms of age, gender, preoperative body mass index (BMI) value, as well as postoperative first-year BMI, EWL%, total weight loss percentage (TWL%), and successful patient percentage.

RESULTS

A total of 599 patients were included in this study. When the patients were dichotomized according to their pathology results as normal or abnormal, 101 (%83.5) of the patients with normal pathology results had EWL% greater than 70%. On the contrary, 356 (74.5%) of the patients with abnormal pathology results had EWL% greater than 70%, and this difference was statistically significant (p=0.038).

CONCLUSION

Patients with normal histopathologic examination results of resected gastric specimens after LSG are more successful than the patient population with abnormal histopathologic results in terms of the percentage of patients with EWL% above 70 at the end of the first postoperative year. We recommend routine histopathologic analysis of gastric specimens after LSG in severely obese patients.

Dry beriberi after sleeve gastrectomy: An undiagnosed case report

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is a popular surgery for morbid obesity because of minimal complications, while somewhere uncommon micronutrient deficiencies occur that make problems. One of these rare complications is dry beriberi (BB).

CASE PRESENTATION

A 20-year-old girl with obesity that a few months after SG had non-specific symptoms like nausea, vomiting, debilitating weakness, burning, and tingling in her feet, which led to more tests and imaging and confused the physicians. During the next two months, she had a 40 kg weight loss. The critical test that helped diagnosis was Electromyography and Nerve Conduction Velocity (EMG/NCV), which showed subacute axonal sensory-motor polyneuropathy and decreased level of vitamin B1, proved the patient's diagnosis was dray BB.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

SG may contribute to vitamin and trace elements deficiency development. One of the micronutrients that deficiencies can disturb the patient is vitamin B1 deficiency. Vitamin B1 deficiencies could be demonstrated with peripheral polyneuropathy, beriberi, or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Based on decreased vitamin B1 and EMG/NCV results, the diagnosis had been dry beriberi corrected with supplement therapy.

CONCLUSION

Thiamine deficiency should be suspected in all patients with vomiting, neurological symptoms, and rapid weight loss post-bariatric surgery (BS), even after restrictive surgery. Especially when a patient reports substantial weight loss and vomiting in short order. Hopefully, this case report will make any patient hospitalized with similar conditions evaluated for beriberi and again multivitamin supplementation therapy after SG is emphasized.