Abstract

Objective: To investigate the long-term effects of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on weight loss, blood sugar and cholesterol.
Materials & Methods: A total of 306 morbidly obese patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy over three years from 2014-02-2017 at King Khalid Hospital Obesity Center, Najran (Saudi Arabia ) monitored postoperatively for a periodically over 24 months duration for weight reduction and metabolic changes by measurement of BMI, total body cholesterol and fasting blood sugar lower than 126 mg/(5.6-7 mmol). Hypercholesterolemia was defined as a total cholesterol level higher than 240 mg/dl (6.2 mmol), total cholesterol 200-240 mg/dl (5.2-6.2 mmol) considered as borderline, and less than 200 mg/dl (5.2 mmol) is normal.
Result: The percentage of excess body weight was 50.8% (68 kh) and the percentage of excess weight loss was 18%, 34%, 55.6% and 73% at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months respectively and this excess weight loss was significant with P value less than 0.00001 and T value of 9.08. Blood sugar was significantly improved from preoperative 6 mmol to postoperative 5.75, 5.3, 5 and 4.3 mmol at 3, 6, 12 and 24 month respectively and this improvement was statistically significant as calculated using both T calculator for two dependent mean and the f-ratio value both yield P-value is <0.00001 which is statistically significant at p<0.01 and continue follow up for the mean blood sugar was normalized (4.3 mmol) which also statistically significant. Total body cholesterol was decreased from mean preoperative 5.6 mmol to 5.24, 5.2, 2, 4.97 and 4.3 mmol in 3, 6, 12, 24 months respectively and this reduction was statistically significant at P-value less than 0.01.
Conclusion: Sleeve gastrectomy is a safe and effective bariatric procedure with approximately 75% of the excessive weight loss achieved at the first two-years, normalized blood sugar occurs in 96% of patients with normalization of total body cholesterol in all with satisfactory long-term results regarding weight loss and comorbidities.

Keywords: Morbid obesity; Metabolic syndrome; Sleeve gastroectomy