Mid-Term Outcomes After Conversion Procedures Following Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

In the long term, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) may be associated with insufficient weight loss (IWL), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and persistence or relapse of associated medical problems. This study's objective is to present mid-term results regarding weight loss (WL), evolution of associated medical problems, and reoperation rate of patients who underwent a conversion after SG.

Retrospective single-center analysis of patients with a minimal follow-up of 2 years after conversion.

In this series of 549 SGs, 84 patients (15.3%) underwent a conversion, and 71 met inclusion criteria. They were converted to short biliopancreatic limb Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (short BPL RYGB) (n = 28, 39.4%), biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (BPD/DS) (n = 19, 26.8%), long biliopancreatic limb Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (long BPL RYGB) (n = 17, 23.9%), and re-sleeve gastrectomy (RSG) (n = 7, 9.9%). Indications were GERD (n = 24, 33.8%), IWL (n = 23, 32.4%), IWL + GERD (n = 22, 31.0%), or stenosis/kinking of the sleeve (n = 2, 2.8%). The mean pre-revisional body mass index (BMI) was 38.0 ± 7.5 kg/m². The mean follow-up time after conversion was 5.1 ± 3.1 years. The overall percentage of total weight loss (%TWL) was greatest after BPD/DS (36.6%) and long BPL RYGB (32.9%) compared to RSG (20.0%; p = 0.004; p = 0.049). In case of GERD, conversion to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) led to a resolution of symptoms in 79.5%. 16.9% of patients underwent an additional revisional procedure.

In the event of IWL after SG, conversion to BPD/DS provides a significant and sustainable additional WL. Conversion to RYGB leads to a reliable symptom control in patients suffering from GERD after SG.