Psychological changes in morbidly obese patients after sleeve gastrectomy.

Background: The aim of this study is to observe the psychological changes at one year postop in a group of patients undergoing laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy (GVL) and multidisciplinary follow- up.

Methods: A total of 46 patients with a BMI-35 or higher, who were selected for GVL, completed psychological testing. After GVL surgery, patients received psychological, nutritional, and medical attention during 12 months, and they retook the same tests.

Results: Psychological tests showed an improvement on almost all scales tested, except perfectionism. The most significant change was in the benchmark for Eating Disorders with an improvement of 89% for bulimia (P<.01), and 55% for body dissatisfaction (P<.01) and ineffectiveness (P<.01). In quality of life there was an improvement of 57% in the change in health status (P<.01).

Conclusion: During our study, a protocol involving GVL and multidisciplinary follow-ups seems proved to be an effective intervention for improving bulimic symptoms and quality of living. The results of these psychological changes are similar to Roux-en-Y Gastric bypass but different to vertical banded gastroplasty or adjustable gastric band, according to previous studies. However, long-term studies are necessary to confirm this trend.