Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for morbid obesity: does the size of the bougie matter?

Background
Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a safe and effective surgical treatment modality for morbid obesity. Variations in surgical technique could affect the results. The optimal size of the bougie remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the first-year outcome of LSG using two different sizes of bougies.
Patients and methods
Between March 2011 and January 2014, 102 morbidly obese patients underwent LSG. These patients were divided into two groups: group 1 (50 patients) and group 2 (52 patients). In group 1, 32-Fr bougies (orogastric calibration tube) were used, and in group 2 40-Fr bougies were used. Patients completed at least 6 months of follow-up visits.
Results
The excess body weight loss percentage in group 1 was 53.6 ± 10.96% at 6 months and 69.4 ± 15.6% at 1 year postoperatively, whereas in group 2 it was 52.7 ± 11.27% at 6 months and 66.4 ± 13.4% at 1 year postoperatively, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups. There were neither intraoperative complications nor postoperative mortalities. The overall complication rate was 14.7% (15 patients) with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (14% in group 1 vs. 15.4% in group 2). The postoperative hospital stay was 2.3 days in group 1 versus 2.2 days in group 2. There was 58.8% complete resolution of diabetes mellitus, 60% resolution of hypertension, and 87.5% resolution of sleep apnea 6 months after sleeve gastrectomy with no statistically significant difference between the two groups.
Conclusion
LSG is a safe and effective treatment method for morbid obesity. Bougie size does not affect the short-term outcomes.