Gastritis in patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy: Prevalence, ethnic distribution, and impact on glycemic.

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a therapeutic option in severely obese patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of Helicobacter pylori (HP) gastritis and non-Helicobacter gastritis in the gastrectomy specimens, and its association to other variables.One hundred six sleeve gastrectomy specimens were examined histopathologically for the presence of gastritis and its relation to other factors like ethnicity, glycemic control, and postoperative complications.Twelve patients had HP gastritis, 39 had non-HP gastritis, and 55 had normal mucosa. There was a statistical difference between the Arab and Jewish Israeli patients in our study. Twenty-eight of the Arab patients had HP gastritis and 48% had non-HP gastritis. In the Jewish population 6% had HP gastritis and 34% had non-HP gastritis. The preoperative glycemic control was worse in the gastritis group with a mean HbA1c of 8.344% while in the normal mucosa group the mean HbA1c was 6.55. After operation the glycemic control reverted to normal in most the diabetic patients. There were few postoperative complications however, they were not related to HP.There is a high incidence of gastritis in obese patients. The incidence of gastritis in the Arab population in our study was higher than that in the Jewish population. The glycemic control before surgery was worse in patients with gastritis than in the normal mucosa group. HP bares no risk for postoperative complications after LSG and does not affect weight loss. However a larger cohort of patients must be studied to arrive at conclusive results.

A simple technique for deploying a laparoscopic bag during splenectomy: two-point anchoring to the abdominal wall.

BACKGROUND: The deployment of a retrieval bag during a laparoscopic splenectomy procedure may be time-consuming. A simple technique of holding the bag open is described in this paper. TECHNIQUE: A retrieval bag is equipped with two long, firm threads sutured to two preexisting tags on its opposite sides. The bag is introduced into the abdomen through the ports. By bringing the threads out of the abdomen through the abdominal wall and using one grasper, the surgeon can easily deploy the retrieval bag and hold it open. CONCLUSIONS: Our technique is easy to perform, and permits a rapid deployment and simple insertion of the spleen, while holding the retrieval bag wide open.