Role of staple line fixation during laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy

Abstract

Background: Although sleeve gastrectomy provides a technically simple procedure with minimal effect on digestive tract it deprives the stomach of its ligaments of fixation which results in impairment of gastric functions, vomiting, axial gastric rotation in addition to bleeding or leakage from the stable line. Objective of present study is the effect of stable line fixation during sleeve gastrectomy.Methods: This is a prospective randomized study using closed envelop method carried on 100 patients with morbid obesity who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) they were divided into two groups each is 50 patient group A underwent classic (LSG) with no fixation and group (B) with staple line fixation.Results: Patients were 68 females and 32 males with a mean age of 32.2±5.7 years, mean (BMI) 48.9±8.6kg/m2. postoperative vomiting, gastric axial rotation, impaired gastric emptying all were significantly higher in group A. Although both staple line bleeding and leakage were higher in the group A, but it was not statistically significant. Also, the operative time was shorter in the group A, but it was not significant.Conclusions: staple line fixation should be a step during sleeve gastrectomy as it regains the stomach its ligaments of fixation anatomically and so functions better less vomiting, less gastric axial rotation, better gastric emptying in addition to decreasing staple line bleeding and leakage with minimal effect on operative time.