title: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy as an isolated bariatric procedure: intermediate-term results from a large series in three Austrian centers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gastric sleeve resection was initially planned as the first step of bilio-pancreatic diversion with duodenal switch but it continues to emerge as a restrictive bariatric procedure on its own. We describe intermediate results in a series of 126 laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomies (LSG) compiled from three bariatric centers in eastern Austria.
  
  
  METHODS
  The stomach was laparoscopically reduced to a "sleeve" along the lesser curvature over a 48-Fr bougie. Special attention was placed on complete resection of the gastric fundus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a mean follow-up of 19.1 months, patients had lost between 2.3 and 27 kg/m(2) or between 6.7% and 130% of their excessive weight. Sixty four percent of the patients lost >50% of their excess weight within an average of 20 months. Seven percent of the patients had an excess weight loss <25% and were therefore considered as failures. The only major surgical complication was leakage of the staple-line needing revision (three times). There were no operative mortalities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The final place of LSG in bariatric surgery is still unclear, but our results and those of others show that LSG can be a viable alternative to established procedures.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Vienna Medical University, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria. franz.felberbauer@meduniwien.ac.at
authors.forename: Franz X
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Felberbauer
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Langer
authors.forename: Soheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shakeri-Manesch
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schmaldienst
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kees
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kriwanek
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prager
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Prager
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001317:Austria; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss