Protective effects of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on atherosclerotic and hemocytic parameters in obese patients.

Baykara, Murat; Yazar, Fatih Mehmet; Cengiz, Emrah; Bülbüloğlu, Ertan

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the change in the body mass index following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on the vascular morphology structure and biochemical and hemocytic parameters. MATERIAL AND METHODS A prospective evaluation of 60 patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy was conducted. The relationship was evaluated between the vascular morphological parameters and biochemical and hemocytic inflammatory variables of the patients preoperatively and at 6, 12, and 18 months postoperatively. RESULTS Compared to the baseline values, a significant decrease was determined in the carotid intima media thickness at 6, 12, and 18 months (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). The compliance and distensibility values were observed to increase over time (p<0.05, p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). A statistically significant difference was determined in the carotid intima media thickness values according to gender, with males (n:7) measuring 0.618±0.123 mm and females (n:53) measuring 0.506±0.113 mm (p<0.01). When patients were grouped as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio ≤2.54 (n:41) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio>2.55 (n:19), the increasing neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio values were observed to be in proportion to the carotid intima media thickness, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). When factors affecting the vascular morphology parameters measured at baseline and throughout the study were evaluated with the correlation analysis, there was observed to be a positive correlation between the baseline carotid intima media thickness thickness and neutrophil percentage (r=0.736, p<0.001) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (r=0.676, p<0.001), and between the negative correlation and lymphocyte percentage (r=-0.628, p<0.001). CONCLUSION Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is not only a cosmetic procedure reducing the body mass index values, but it also has a beneficiary effect on vascular morphology, biochemical, and hemocytic parameters.