Prospective Comparison and Quality of Life for Single-Incision and Conventional Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy in a Series of Morbidly Obese Patients

Abstract

Background: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has gained a wide acceptance in the surgical community with an increasing popularity in the field of bariatric surgery. Simultaneously more surgeons have become acquainted with the single port techniques and sleeve gastrectomy has been regarded as an ideal field of application. Literature is scarce about operative and clinical outcomes of single port sleeve gastrectomy compared to conventional laparoscopy. The primary purpose of the study was to compare operative outcomes in the two study groups. Assessment and comparison of functional outcomes in terms of quality of life between groups was also performed.

Methods: Prospective data on 130 consecutive patients who underwent randomized SI or CL sleeve gastrectomy were collected between January 2009 to December 2014. Preoperative parameters, outcomes, post-operative functional results and quality of life, according to the short-form SF-36 questionnaire, were evaluated and compared between groups.

Results: 65 patients underwent conventional laparoscopic (CL) and 65 single incision (SI) sleeve gastrectomy. Operative time, post-operative pain, in-hospital stay, and complications were similar in the two groups. No difference emerged with respect to passage of flatus and resumption of oral intake (p = NS). Cosmetic results were excellent in SI patients with higher satisfaction rates. Post-operative quality of life was significant higher compared to baseline (p < 0.05), and comparable between the two procedures.

Conclusions: Single incision sleeve gastrectomy is safe, effective and comparable to the conventional laparoscopic technique in terms of outcomes. Post-operative quality of life is comparable between the two procedures.

Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Obesity; SF-36; Single incision laparoscopic surgery; Sleeve gastrectomy.