Is a "retained fundus" seen on postoperative upper gastrointestinal series after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy predictive of inferior weight loss?

Background: Postoperative upper gastrointestinal series (UGI) has never been shown to be effective in ruling out leaks or obstruction after gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy. In sleeve gastrectomies, UGI will define the shape of the sleeve and rule out a retained fundus that was not optimally excised during surgery.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the impact of a "retained fundus" on weight loss to determine whether UGIs can be used to gauge success of the operation and predict outcome.