Laparoscopic small bowel length measurement: nonassociative nature of total small bowel length with anthropometric and clinical characteristics in patients undergoing bariatric surgery

Abstract

BackgroundSmall bowel length (SBL) may have an impact on the outcomes of bariatric surgeries, but it can be difficult to make a direct association between SBL and the safety and outcome of bariatric surgeries. ObjectivesTo address this issue, we set out to devise a predictive model for SBL determination based on clinical and anthropometric variables. SettingAn academic tertiary medical center. MethodsAnthropometric and clinical data, including age, sex, height, weight, and past medical history, were collected upon enrollment. SBL was measured twice during the surgery using a marked grasper. In all cases, measurements were carried out by a single surgeon. To create a predictive model, a 2-step approach was employed. In the first step, linear regression was used to determine influential variables. In the second step, all variables with a P value < .2 were entered into a multivariate regression model. ResultsOverall, 961 bariatric candidates were enrolled. The mean age of the participants was 40.08 years, and 77.5% (n = 745) were female. The mean SBL was 748.90 centimeters. There was a weak but statistically significant positive correlation between SBL with both weight and height. Our univariate linear model determined only anthropometric parameters as a predictor of SBL. The multivariate model also yielded that none of the entered parameters were shown to be accurate predictors of SBL. Moreover, only 4.3% of variances were explainable by this model. ConclusionAlthough we found a weak positive association between height and SBL, this association lacked clinical practicality.