Comparative Effectiveness of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy on Morbidly Obese, Super-Obese, and Super-Super Obese Patients for the Treatment of Morbid Obesity

The management of super-super obese patients is challenging for bariatric surgeons. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is feasible as two-stage treatment for high-risk patients. However, its efficacy as a stand-alone procedure in super-super obese (SSO) patients is controversial. The study objective was to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of LSG in super-obese (SO) and SSO patients. A retrospective analysis was performed of consecutive patients undergoing LSG. The patients were classified into three groups: morbidly obese (MO), SO, and SSO. The patients' data, including each patient's characteristics, body mass index (BMI), preoperative comorbidities, postoperative complications, the resolution of comorbidities, percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL), and total weight loss (%TWL) were compared between groups. Of the 186 patients, 163 (87.6%) were followed up for 41.2 +/- 7.3 months (range 33-54 months). The mean BMI was 52.6 kg/m(2). Eighty-three patients (50.9%) were MO, 52 (31.9%) were SO, and 28 (17.2%) were SSO. The groups were similar in terms of preoperative characteristics and postoperative complications. The mean %TWL were lower for the SSO group with no significant difference. The mean %TWL at 12, 24, 36, and 41.2 months postoperatively was 34.7, 34.4, 31.4, and 29.6% in SSO group, respectively. Also, the %EWL for the SSO group was significantly lower (48.3%) at the end of the follow-up period. However, the rate of significant improvement or complete resolution of comorbidities was similar in all groups. Although %EWL was lower in the SSO group, LSG was a feasible and safe stand-alone bariatric surgical procedure for the resolution of comorbidities in MO, SO, and SSO patients.