Initial Experience of Laparoscopic and Robotic Sleeve Gastrectomy for Morbidly Obese Korean Patients: A Single-institution Experiences

Abstract

Purpose: The number of sleeve gastrectomy of bariatric procedures showed a marked rise worldwide recently. This rapid acceptance of sleeve gastrectomy into the bariatric armamentarium can be attributed to its advantages which includes the apparent simplicity of the procedure coupled with effective weight loss, resolution of comorbidities, and lesser postoperative morbidity. However, there have been few studies about laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) and robotic sleeve gastrectomy (RSG) in Korea. The aim of our study is to present our initial experience with LSG and RSG as a single-stage bariatric procedure. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 18 patients underwent LSG (14 patients) and RSG (4 patients) from December 2008 to November 2012. Results: The mean age was 44.8 years (range, 26-75 years) and the mean preoperative BMI was 43.2±7.1 kg/m (range, 34.4-56.3 kg/m). Mean operative time was 150.3±44.5 min (LSG; 136.5±36.16 min vs RSG; 198.8±39.2 min) and mean length of hospital stay was 4.9±1.9 days. The mean BMI decreased to 34.6±7.0 kg/m and mean percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) was 44.0±15.9% at 1 year postoperatively. Immediate postoperative intra-abdominal bleeding occurred in 1 patient who underwent RSG, requiring laparoscopic bleeding control. Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurred in the large proportion (7 patients, 38.9%) of patients. Remission or improvement of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia was 86, 71, and 100%, respectively, at 1 year. Conclusion: LSG and RSG as single-stage bariatric procedure are effective in terms of weight loss and improvement of comorbidities. Additional studies are needed to examine technical details for reducing complications, especially GERD.