Clinical utility of transient elastography as an imaging tool to assess the short-term impact of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, together with clinical and biochemical parameters and clinico-biochemical indices, on obese patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: An Egyptian pilot study

Abstract

IntroductionNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic liver disorder commonly attributed to fatty acid deposition that can induce hepatic necroinflammation, defined as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). It is strongly associated with obesity. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a favorable surgical modality for the treatment of morbid obesity. AimOur study evaluated the impact of LSG on patients with NAFLD and morbid obesity, 3 months after the operation, through clinical and biochemical characteristics, clinico-biochemical indices, and imaging parameters. Patients and methodsMorbidly obese patients with NAFLD ± NASH underwent LSG. They were thoroughly evaluated clinically (body weight, body mass index, waist circumference) and biochemically (transaminases and triglycerides), as well as through the fatty liver index (FLI), the hepatic steatosis index (HSI), and ultrasound elastography imaging studies (liver stiffness measurement [LSM] and the controlled attenuation parameter [CAP]), before and 3 months after the LSG. ResultsTwenty-six obese patients with NAFLD underwent LSG that resulted in a significantly high reduction in all the parameters analyzed, except for liver transaminases. ConclusionLSG is considered an efficient surgical modality for the treatment of morbidly obese patients with NAFLD.