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Incidence of Post-operative Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disorder in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

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Abstract

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common concern following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). This paper aimed to assess the incidence of reflux disease following these bariatric procedures. A literature search was conducted to identify observational studies and clinical trials reporting patients developed GERD disease after LSG. Twenty-two studies included in the analysis, involve 20,495 participants, indicated that the estimated proportion of patients who developed post-surgery GERD was 0.35 (95% CI 0.30–0.41). Subgroup analysis revealed a proportion of 0.33 (95% CI 0.27–0.38) in observational studies and 0.58 (95% CI 0.39–0.75) in clinical trials. High heterogeneity was noted across studies (I2 = 98%). Sensitivity analyses and publication bias assessments were performed to enhance the robustness of the results. Our findings highlight a moderate to high risk of developing GERD following LSG surgery.

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Documents containing all extracted data are available in the manuscript and the accompanying supplementary material.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, 11009, Cádiz, Spain

    Ander Bengoechea Trujillo

  2. Aakash Healthcare Superspeciality Hospital, Sector-3, Dwarka, Delhi, 110075, India

    Drishti Sagar

  3. Internal Medicine, Malla Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences, GHMC Quthbullapur, Jeedimetla, Hyderabad, 500055, India

    Amoolya Rao Amaravadhi

  4. Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, 0179, Tbilisi, Georgia

    Devika Muraleedharan

  5. King Edward Medical University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan

    Muhammad Zauraiz Malik

  6. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX, 77030-4009, USA

    Kofi Effa-Ababio

  7. Public Health and Scientific Research Center, Kigali, Rwanda

    Mugisha Nsengiyumva

  8. CareHealth Medical Practice, Jimma Road, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Tadele Tesfaye

  9. Department of General, Oncologic, Metabolic, and Thoracic Surgery, Military Institute of Medicine – National Research Institute, 04-141, Warsaw, Poland

    Maciej Walędziak

  10. Department of Human Physiology and Patophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, 01-938, Warsaw, Poland

    Anna Różańska-Walędziak

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  1. Ander Bengoechea Trujillo
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Contributions

All authors have equally contributed to the manuscript and have approved the final manuscript to be published.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ander Bengoechea Trujillo or Maciej Walędziak.

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Key Points

Incidence of GERD after LSG is around 35%, with clinical trials indicating a risk as high as 58%.

Studies show high heterogeneity; future research with standardized methods is crucial for accurate risk assessment.

Preoperative evaluation for GERD risk factors and thorough patient consent discussions are essential for surgical planning.

Supplementary Information

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Trujillo, A.B., Sagar, D., Amaravadhi, A.R. et al. Incidence of Post-operative Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disorder in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. OBES SURG 34, 1874–1884 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-024-07163-y

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