Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for patients with morbid obesity. Until recently, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass was regarded as the standard bariatric procedure. However, sleeve gastrectomy is being performed with increasing frequency despite the lack of evidence regarding its long-term efficacy.¹ The sleeve gastrectomy procedure is technically easier, faster to perform, and potentially safer compared with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. However, much more data on clinical and metabolic long-term outcomes are available on the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure. Early and midterm results of sleeve gastrectomy showed potential benefit, but only a limited number of randomized studies have compared outcomes of sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass head to head, most of which were underpowered because of low patient numbers, short follow-up, or both.^2-6

Background: To assess the impact of body composition imaging biomarkers in computed tomography (CT) on the perioperative morbidity and survival after surgery of patients with esophageal cancer (EC). Methods: Eighty-five patients who underwent esophagectomy for locally advanced EC after neoadjuvant therapy between 2014 and 2019 were retrospectively enrolled. Pre- and postoperative CT scans were used to assess the body composition imaging biomarkers (visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) areas, psoas muscle area (PMA) and volume (PMV), total abdominal muscle area (TAMA)). Sarcopenia was defined as lumbar skeletal muscle index (LSMI) ≤38.5 cm²/m² in women and ≤52.4 cm²/m² in men. Patients with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥30 were considered obese. These imaging biomarkers were correlated with major complications, anastomotic leakage, postoperative pneumonia, duration of postoperative hospitalization, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS). Results: Preoperatively, sarcopenia was identified in 58 patients (68.2%), and sarcopenic obesity was present in 7 patients (8.2%). Sarcopenic patients were found to have an elevated risk for the occurrence of major complications (OR: 2.587, p = 0.048) and prolonged hospitalization (32 d vs. 19 d, p = 0.040). Patients with sarcopenic obesity had a significantly higher risk for postoperative pneumonia (OR: 6.364 p = 0.018) and a longer postoperative hospital stay (71 d vs. 24 d, p = 0.021). Neither sarcopenia nor sarcopenic obesity was an independent risk factor for the occurrence of anastomotic leakage (p > 0.05). Low preoperative muscle biomarkers (PMA and PMV) and their decrease (ΔPMV and ΔTAMA) during the follow-up period significantly correlated with shorter DFS and OS (p = 0.005 to 0.048). Conclusion: CT body composition imaging biomarkers can identify high-risk patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer undergoing surgery. Sarcopenic patients have a higher risk of major complications, and patients with sarcopenic obesity are more prone to postoperative pneumonia. Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity are both subsequently associated with a prolonged hospitalization. Low preoperative muscle mass and its decrease during the postoperative follow-up are associated with lower DFS and OS.

Diarrhea after bariatric procedures, mainly those with malabsorptive elements including Roux-Y Gastric Bypass and Biliopancreatic Diversion, is common and an essential determinant of quality of life and micro- and macronutrient deficiencies. Bariatric surgery is the only sustainably successful method to address morbid obesity and its comorbidities, particularly gaining more and more importance in the specific treatment of diabetic patients. Approximately half a million procedures are annually performed around the world, with numbers expected to rise drastically in the near future. A multitude of factors exert their influence on bowel habits; preoperative comorbidities and procedure-related aspects are intertwined with postoperative nutritional habits. Diagnosis may be challenging owing to the characteristics of post-bariatric surgery anatomy with hindered accessibility of excluded segments of the small bowel and restriction at the gastric level. Conventional testing measures, if available, generally yield low accuracy and are usually not validated in this specific population. Limited trials of empiric treatment are a practical alternative and oftentimes an indispensable part of the diagnostic process. This review provides an overview of causes for chronic post-bariatric surgery diarrhea and details the particularities of its diagnosis and treatment in this specific patient population. Topics of current interest such as the impact of gut microbiota and the influence of bile acids on morbid obesity and especially their role in diarrhea are highlighted in order to provide a better understanding of the specific problems and chances of future treatment in post-bariatric surgery patients.