ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To report the experience with laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy as a bariatric surgery in our center.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty obese patients were followed up for 1 year after receiving laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy as a bariatric surgery in our center from January 2009 to October 2010, during which their general conditions, complications, and improvement of obesity-related diseases were assessed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 20 patients, 19 underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and 1 underwent open sleeve gastrectomy with no death occurred. The average weight loss was 36.4±10.0 kg, the average BMI decreased from 46.1±11.5 to 33.6±5.6 kg/m2, and the excess weight loss was 55.9%±14.2% one year after the operation. The majority of obesity-related diseases were improved. In one year after the operation, excellent, good, fairly good and poor scores were achieved in 2 (10.0%), 8 (40.0%), 7 (35.0%), and 3 patients (15.0%), respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy as a bariatric surgery is a safe and feasible procedure for obesity with excellent short-term effects. More studies with a long-term follow-up are needed to validate its benefits.</p>