Evaluating the Necessity of Routine Histopathology in Sleeve Gastrectomy Specimens: A Five-Year Analysis

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a widely performed bariatric surgery that involves the removal of a portion of the stomach. Routinely, the resected gastric tissue is sent for histopathological examination to screen for malignancies or other significant pathological findings. However, the necessity of this routine practice remains uncertain. This study aims to evaluate the histopathological outcomes of LSG specimens over a five-year period at our institution.

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 203 patients who underwent LSG between January 2017 and December 2022 at Heartlands Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham. Data collected included patient demographics, body mass index (BMI), use of preoperative oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD), and histopathological findings. Patients with incomplete records or those who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass were excluded from the study.

Data were extracted for 310 patients, of whom 107 were excluded. The majority of the 203 patients analyzed were female (83%), with a mean age of 45.7 years and a mean BMI of 45.4 ± 7.3. Preoperative OGD was performed in only 0.5% of cases. Histopathological examination revealed that 81.3% (n=165) of patients had normal gastric mucosa, while 14.3% (n=29) had chronic gastritis. Clinically significant findings were rare, with only 1% (n=2) of patients showing gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) or focal intestinal metaplasia. None of the patients required additional treatment or follow-up based on these histopathological findings.

Most LSG specimens in our study showed normal or non-significant histopathological findings, raising questions about the routine use of histopathological examination in LSG procedures. It remains unclear whether histopathology is necessary following sleeve gastrectomy. While no patients in our cohort required further treatment or surveillance, there are reports in the literature where surveillance or further treatment was necessary, though the incidence remains low. Given the low incidence of clinically significant pathology, further studies with larger sample sizes and multi-center data are needed to establish clear guidelines on this issue.