Incidence of Barrett's Esophagus Following Sleeve Gastrectomy in Southeast Asian Population

Background: Variable incidences (up to 18.8%) of Barrett's esophagus (BE) have been reported following sleeve gastrectomy (SG), however, there is no published data from the Southeast Asian population.Objective: To determine the incidence of BE following SG in Southeast Asians.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study from a tertiary-care center, all patients who had undergone SG from 2008 to 2021 and completed a minimum of 1-year follow-up were contacted to participate. Preoperative data were retrieved from a prospectively maintained database. On recruitment, all patients underwent barium swallow and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, and weight parameters and reflux symptoms were recorded.Results: One hundred fourteen patients with no preoperative evidence of BE were included. The mean follow-up duration was 5.4 +/- 3.1 years. On follow-up endoscopy, Barrett's was suspected in 4 patients. However, 3 patients had columnar-lined epithelium and only 1 patient (0.87%) had evidence of intestinal metaplasia without dysplasia on histology. Reflux esophagitis (grade LA-A) resolved in 9 out of 11 patients, while the rate of de novo esophagitis was reported in 22.3%. The mean reflux Symptom Severity score increased from 0.6 +/- 1.8 to 2.6 +/- 5.4 (P = .002). The mean body mass index reduced from 44.1 +/- 7.1 to 33.6 +/- 6.9 kg/m(2) (P < .0001), however, 23.7% of the patients experienced significant weight recidivism. Conclusions: Southeast Asians might have a low incidence of BE following SG. Hence, endoscopic surveillance for the sole purpose of diagnosing BE may not be advisable for these patients.