During laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), intraoperative endoscopy (IOE) can help detect gastric stenosis, especially for novice surgeons, and the stenosis could be resolved during operation, according to a study published in BMC Surgery. Researchers assessed stenosis and leaks during LSG for 352 patients, including 90 in group 1 and 262 in group 2. Three patients in group 1 (0.9%) were observed to have stenosis by IOE, which was related to tight gastropexy stitch or reinforcement stitch. During LSG, stenosis was resolved after removal of the stitch. In groups 1 and 2, gastric stenosis was detected by IOE in 3.3% of cases. The study team observed no leakage and no patient developed endoscopic or clinical stenosis following LSG. “IOE can help detect gastric stenosis during LSG, especially for surgeons less experienced in LSG,” the study authors wrote. “However, because no leak was detected by IOE or occurred after LSG in the present study, the use of IOE with a leak test to prevent leaks is not necessary.”
