[Treatment of super super morbid obesity by sleeve gastrectomy]

INTEREST OF WORK: The longitudinal or "sleeve" gastrectomy was recently introduced into the therapeutic arsenal of the bariatric surgeon. It is a restrictive procedure that reduces stomach capacity by 75%. We present here a preliminary experience with four patients.

Four patients with super super obesity (body mass index (BMI)>60 kg/m2) underwent longitudinal or "sleeve" gastrectomy. Their average preoperative weight was 173 kg (range: 147-190 kg) and mean BMI 65 kg/m2 (range: 61-67 kg/m2).

The average post-operative follow-up was 6 months (range: 2-12 months). Average weight loss at 6 months was 40 kg (range: 20-60 kg) and average decrease in BMI at 6 months 16.3 kg/m2 (range: 6-23 kg/m2). We noted a postsurgical complication in only one patient (subdiaphragmatic abscess treated with drainage).

These preliminary results suggest that the sleeve gastrectomy is associated with few perioperative complications and offers rapidly effective treatment for super super morbid obesity. Long-term results require further investigation.