Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy as an isolated bariatric procedure: intermediate-term results from a large series in three Austrian centers.

Background: Gastric sleeve resection was initially planned as the first step of bilio-pancreatic diversion with duodenal switch but it continues to emerge as a restrictive bariatric procedure on its own. We describe intermediate results in a series of 126 laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomies (LSG) compiled from three bariatric centers in eastern Austria.

Methods: The stomach was laparoscopically reduced to a "sleeve" along the lesser curvature over a 48-Fr bougie.