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Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England logoLink to Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England
. 2017 Oct 27;99(8):658. doi: 10.1308/rcsann.2017.0036

Staple line integrity test in sleeve gastrectomy

E Howie 1,, DJ Pournaras 2, D Mahon 2
PMCID: PMC5696912  PMID: 29022800

The methylene blue dye leak test is considered established practice in laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.1,2 Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is rising in popularity. Dye is delivered via an orogastric tube, with an instrument placed across the gastrectomy sleeve, preventing passage to the pylorus. Most standard laparoscopic instruments cannot compress the sleeve adequately. We use the partially closed endoscopic linear stapler, with the discarded cartridge, previously used in the longitudinal gastrectomy. At 60 mm, it gives good compression across the length to occlude the stomach beyond the inferior end of the staple line. It is safe, effective, readily available and adds no further cost.

References

  • 1.Pournaras DJ, Jafferbhoy S, Titcomb DR et al. Three hundred laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypasses: managing the learning curve in higher risk patients. Obes Surg 2010; (3): 290–294. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Aggarwal S, Bhattacharjee H, Chander Misra M. Practice of routine intraoperative leak test during laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy should not be discarded. Surg Obes Relat Dis 2011; (5): 24–25. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England are provided here courtesy of The Royal College of Surgeons of England

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