The deep abdominal ultrasound transducer (DAX) increases the success rate and diagnostic accuracy of shear wave elastography for liver fibrosis assessment in patients with obesity-A prospective biopsy-controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity impacts the diagnostic accuracy of shear wave elastography (SWE). A deep abdominal ultrasound transducer (DAX) capable of point (pSWE) and two-dimensional (2D)-SWE has recently been introduced to address this issue. METHODS: We performed a prospective study in a cohort of mostly patients with obesity undergoing liver biopsy with a high prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associate steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) was measured using vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE), as well as pSWE and 2D SWE on the standard (5C1) and the DAX transducers. RESULTS: We included 129 patients with paired LSM and liver biopsy: median age 44.0 years, 82 (63.6%) women, median BMI: 43.2 kg/m2. Histologic fibrosis stages: F0: N = 55 (42.6%), F1: N = 14 (10.9%), F2: N = 50 (38.8%), F3: N = 2 (1.6%), F4: N = 8 (6.2%). VCTE-LSM failed (N = 13) or were unreliable (IQR/median ≤30% in ≥7.1 kPa, N = 14) in 20.9% of patients. The Pearson correlation of reliable VCTE-LSM with both pSWE and 2D SWE was strong (all >0.78). The diagnostic accuracy for all LSM techniques was poor for significant fibrosis (≥F2, AUC: 0.54-0.63); however, it was good to excellent for advanced fibrosis (≥F3, AUC: 0.87-0.99) and cirrhosis (F4, AUC: 0.86-1.00). In intention-to-diagnose analysis, pSWE on DAX was significantly superior to VCTE-LSM. CONCLUSIONS: pSWE- and 2D-SWE enable the non-invasive identification of advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients with obese MASLD. The use of the DAX transducer for acoustic radiation force imaging (ARFI)-LSM avoids technical failures in an obese population and subsequently offers advantages over VCTE-LSM for the evaluation of fibrosis in an obese MASLD population at risk for fibrosis.

Fifteen Years after Sleeve Gastrectomy: Gastroscopies, Manometries, and 24-h pH-Metries in a Long-Term Follow-Up: A Multicenter Study.

INTRODUCTION: Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is the most common bariatric operation with over 340,000 procedures per year. There are only few studies presenting follow-up results >10 years in the literature today. The aim of this study was the objective evaluation of long-term outcomes of at least 15 years after SG in non-converted patients. METHODS: This study (multicenter cross-sectional; university-hospital based) includes all non-converted patients with primary SG before December 2005 at participating bariatric centers. The following methods were used: gastroscopy, esophageal manometry, 24-h pH-metry, and Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI). RESULTS: After removing converted patients, patients with bariatric procedures before SG, and deceased patients from the cohort, 20 of 53 participants have met the inclusion criteria. Of this group, 55% are suffering from symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); 45% are without GERD. Esophagitis, hiatal hernias, Barrett's esophagus, and enlarged sleeves were found in 44%, 50%, 13%, and 69% of patients during gastroscopy. Mean lower esophageal sphincter pressure was normal at 20.2 ± 14.1 mm Hg during manometry. Reflux activity in 24 h, number of refluxes, and DeMeester score were increased at 12.9 ± 9.7%, 98.0 ± 80.8, and 55.3 ± 36.3 during 24-h pH-metry. Patients with GERD scored significantly lower in the GIQLI than patients without GERD: 107.6 ± 18.4 versus 127.6 ± 14.4 (p = 0.04). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Fifteen years after primary SG, objective testing has shown that GERD, esophagitis, and Barrett's esophagus are major issues for these patients. Surveillance endoscopies at 5-year intervals in all SG patients and 3-year intervals in patients with Barrett's esophagus are recommended.

Bariatric Surgery-How Much Malabsorption Do We Need?-A Review of Various Limb Lengths in Different Gastric Bypass Procedures.

The number of obese individuals worldwide continues to increase every year, thus, the number of bariatric/metabolic operations performed is on a constant rise as well. Beside exclusively restrictive procedures, most of the bariatric operations have a more or less malabsorptive component. Several different bypass procedures exist alongside each other today and each type of bypass is performed using a distinct technique. Furthermore, the length of the bypassed intestine may differ as well. One might add that the operations are performed differently in different parts of the world and have been changing and evolving over time. This review evaluates the most frequently performed bariatric bypass procedures (and their variations) worldwide: Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass, One-Anastomosis Gastric Bypass, Single-Anastomosis Duodeno-Ileal Bypass + Sleeve Gastrectomy, Biliopancreatic Diversion + Duodenal Switch and operations due to weight regain. The evaluation of the procedures and different limb lengths focusses on weight loss, remission of comorbidities and the risk of malnutrition and deficiencies. This narrative review does not aim at synthesizing quantitative data. Rather, it provides a summary of carefully selected, high-quality studies to serve as examples and to draw tentative conclusions on the effects of the bypass procedures mentioned above. In conclusion, it is important to carefully choose the procedure and small bowel length excluded from the food passage suited best to each individual patient. A balance has to be achieved between sufficient weight loss and remission of comorbidities, as well as a low risk of deficiencies and malnutrition. In any case, at least 300 cm of small bowel should always remain in the food stream to prevent the development of deficiencies and malnutrition.

Sleeve Gastrectomy: Surgical Technique, Outcomes, and Complications.

The number of bariatric surgical procedures performed worldwide increases every year and has recently exceeded 685,000. Over 50% of these are laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG), and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass accounts for an additional 30%. Bariatric/metabolic surgery seeks to achieve not only weight loss and the remission of comorbidities, such as diabetes mellitus type II, arterial hypertension, sleep apnea, risk of cancer, non-alcoholic liver steatosis, etc., but also improvements in the patient's quality of life. SG is mainly a restrictive procedure consisting of the resection and removal of a major part of the stomach, which has an additional impact on hormones such as Ghrelin and Glucagon-like Peptide 1. The first part of this article focuses on patient preparation before a bariatric procedure with mandatory and additional examinations to decrease the patient's risk. Next, the surgical technique itself, including positioning of the patient, positioning of the trocars and related tips and tricks, and the postoperative course are described. The second part discusses the outcomes of SG, including weight loss, remission of comorbidities and quality of life. Further possible acute complications of SG such as leaks, bleeding or stenoses as well as long-term complications (reflux, weight regain and malnutrition) and respective treatments are also described. In conclusion, SG is an effective procedure for weight loss with a low risk for the patient to develop malnutrition. In terms of post-operative care, regular check-ups are vital to ensure a positive outcome as well as for the early detection of possible issues. Reflux and weight regain are common issues with SG in a long-term follow-up; thus, patients should be selected carefully for this procedure.

Quality of Life 10 Years after Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Multicenter Study.

OBJECTIVE: Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) has recently become the most commonly applied bariatric procedure worldwide. Substantial regaining of weight or severe reflux might compromise quality of life (QOL) after SG in the long-term follow-up. Long-term data on patients' QOL is limited, even though the persistent improvement in QOL is one of the aims of bariatric surgery. The objective of this study was to present patients' QOL 10 years after SG. METHODS: Of 65 SG patients with a follow-up of ≥10 years after SG who were asked to fill out the Bariatric Quality of Life Index (BQL) and Short Form 36 (SF36) questionnaires, 48 (74%) completed them. This multicenter study was performed in a university hospital setting in Austria. RESULTS: The BQL score revealed nonsignificant differences between the patients with > 50% or < 50% excess weight loss (EWL). It did show significant differences between patients with and without any symptoms of reflux. Patients with < 50% EWL scored significantly lower in 3/8 categories of SF36. Patients suffering from reflux had significantly lower scores in all categories. CONCLUSIONS: EWL and symptomatic reflux impair patients' long-term QOL after SG.