The panel, representing 24 centers in 11 countries with a collective experience of more than 12,000 sleeve gastrectomy cases, convened in March 2011. The panel’s recommendations on patient selection, proper surgical technique and prevention and management of complications have been published in a paper titled “International Sleeve Gastrectomy Expert Panel Consensus Statement: Best Practice Guidelines Based on Experience of Over 12,000 Cases” in Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, the official journal of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
“There is a misleading perception amongst surgeons and patients that this procedure is an easy one,” lead author and panel chairman Raul J. Rosenthal, MD, of the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute and the Cleveland Clinic Florida said in the release. “Despite its simplicity, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy requires a meticulous technique in order to avoid complications and maximize procedure outcomes. We felt the need to create guidelines to help surgeons prevent complications that are related, in most cases, to the learning curve.”
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