Laparoscopic small bowel length measurement: nonassociative nature of total small bowel length with anthropometric and clinical characteristics in patients undergoing bariatric surgery

Background: Small bowel length (SBL) may have an impact on the outcomes of bariatric surgeries, but it can be difficult to make a direct association between SBL and the safety and outcome of bariatric surgeries. Objectives: To address this issue, we set out to devise a predictive model for SBL determination based on clinical and anthropometric variables. Setting: An academic tertiary medical center. Methods: Anthropometric and clinical data, including age, sex, height, weight, and past medical history, were collected upon enrollment. SBL was measured twice during the surgery using a marked grasper. In all cases, measurements were carried out by a single surgeon. To create a predictive model, a 2-step approach was employed. In the first step, linear regression was used to determine influential variables. In the second step, all variables with a P value < .2 were entered into a multivariate regression model. Results: Overall, 961 bariatric candidates were enrolled. The mean age of the participants was 40.08 years, and 77.5% (n 5 745) were female. The mean SBL was 748.90 centimeters. There was a weak but statistically significant positive correlation between SBL with both weight and height. Our univariate linear model determined only anthropometric parameters as a predictor of SBL. The multivariate model also yielded that none of the entered parameters were shown to be accurate predictors of SBL. Moreover, only 4.3% of variances were explainable by this model. Conclusion: Although we found a weak positive association between height and SBL, this association lacked clinical practicality. (Surg Obes Relat Dis 2024;20:849-855.) (c) 2024 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.