Histopathologic Findings in the Resected Specimen of a Sleeve Gastrectomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The vertical sleeve gastrectomy is quickly becoming a preferred bariatric operation. There is a dearth of published data about histopathologic changes in the specimens of morbidly obese patients, especially sleeve patients. The aim of this study is to add more data about the characteristics of the resected gastric specimens to the published literature. METHODS A prospective database of all patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomies at a single institution was used to gather our data. Patient characteristics such as age, sex, and initial body mass index were examined. The pathology reports of these patients were examined for any histopathologic changes or findings. RESULTS One hundred forty-five patients over a 3-year period had specimens available for review. Ninety-seven of the patients were women. The mean starting body mass index was 47.5 kg/m(2) (range, 35-72.8 kg/m(2)). The mean age at the time of the operation was 43.1 years. A minority of patients, 62 (49.7%), had histopathologic findings in the resected specimens. The main histopathologic findings were acute and chronic gastritis in 4 patients, chronic gastritis in 61, and follicular lymphoid hyperplasia in 11. One leiomyoma and 2 fundic polyps were found. Seventy-three patients had no histopathologic changes. CONCLUSION A minority of patients had pathologic findings in the resected specimens. This study will help build a dataset regarding the resected stomachs of morbidly obese individuals. These results can help determine what histopathologic findings can be expected after sleeve gastrectomies.