Preoperative endoscopy and pathology report of the specimen to be recommended in sleeve gastrectomy?

OBJECTIVE: Preoperative upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE) and postoperative histopathological examination (HPE) of resected specimens are still controversial issues in bariatric surgery. METHODS: A retrospective review of prospectively collected laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomies (SG) performed at our institution for morbid obesity was carried out. All patients underwent pre-operative UGIE with biopsy, post-operative HPE and conventional post-operative follow-up. RESULTS: From January 2019 through January 2021 we performed a total of 501 laparoscopic SG. A total of 12 (2.4%) neoplasms were found, 2 evident at preoperative UGIE, 4 detected during operation, and 6 at HPE. Eight of these 12 cases had some malignant potential and 5 would not have been detected without HPE of the specimen. The most significant unexpected case was a fundic gland type adenocarcinoma in a 64-year-old female with severe obesity. CONCLUSION: On the basis of our clinical experience, we recommend both preoperative endoscopic assessment and postoperative HPE of the specimen to provide the best available treatment to these patients.