Eureka! Institutional Repository

Introduction: Loss of muscle mass negatively affects health, metabolism and functional capacity of people and is a common postoperative complication in obese people undergoing bariatric surgery. Purpose: The aim of the present thesis was to assess the loss of muscle mass in patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy. Methodology: The study sample consisted of 11 patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy, and Body Mass Index (BMI), body mass and Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI) were determined via bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), before and one month after the surgery. Results: The patients exhibited lower body mass after surgery (127.3±14.9 kg) compared to baseline (143.9±15.7 kg). This difference [~16.6 kg, 95%CI:(13.1 - 20.1)] was statistically significant [t(10)=10.69; p<0.001; Cohen's d=3.22]. Likewise, patients had lower body mass index after surgery (42.43±5.04 kg/m2) compared to pre-surgery (47.82±4.98 kg/m2). This difference [~5.50 kg/m2, 95%CI:(4.31 - 6.70)] was statistically significant [t(10)=10.26; p<0.001; Cohen's d=3.09]. However, no statistically significant difference was observed in fat-free mass index (p=0.170), despite the fact thatFFMI after surgery (22.59±3.59 kg/m2) was slightly lower than before the surgery (23.28 ±3.66 kg/m2) [~0.69 kg/m2, 95%CI: (-0.35 – 1.73)]. Conclusions: Sleeve gastrectomy is a safe and effective bariatric surgery to treat obesity, when conservative treatments have previously been applied unsuccessfully. Future studies should investigate the factors that determine the effect of sleeve gastrectomy on muscle mass loss in order to maximize the benefits.