Weight-related quality of life changes 6-months following Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy or Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty

Background: Improvement in quality of life is an important patient-centred outcome of bariatric procedures. Objectives: To report the change in weight-related quality of life 6-months after a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) or endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG). Methods: Adult patients were recruited prospectively over 12-months from Weight Loss Solutions Australia and followed from baseline to 6-months post-procedure. Quality of life was measured by the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life Assessment Tool (IWQOL-Lite) which assess overall quality of life and five sub-categories of: physical function, self-esteem, sexual life, public distress, work (or daily activities). All IWQOL scores were normalised to a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best) quality of life. Paired and independent t-tests were used to compare scores from baseline to follow-up and change over time between groups respectively. Results: At baseline, LSG (mean score 42.6(11.6)) and ESG (mean score 60.0(75.5)) had “severe” impacts on QoL; where LSG participants (n=12, age 37.5(6.7) years, BMI 41.9(6.2)kg/m2, 92% female) had a lower QoL compared to ESG participants (n=6, age 35.0(8.4) years, BMI 37.1 (5.7)kg/m2, 83% female) (p=0.027). At follow-up, LSG had a greater improvement in QoL compared to ESG (mean change 38.8(19.8) p<0.0001 vs 15.6(21.9) p=0.142); however, this resulted in similar QoL in both groups 6-months post-procedure (p=0.131). The greater improvement in LSG compared to ESG was driven by self-esteem (mean difference 36.6 [95%CI:10.8,62.4) p=0.008) and sexual life (mean difference 45.7 [95%CI:17.8,73.5] p=0.003) domains. Conclusion: Participants who seek the LSG and ESG in Queensland have severe weight-related impacts on their quality of life; however, LSG patients have higher BMIs and worse QoL. Both LSG and ESG participants experience improvements in QoL; however, the LSG participants experienced a greater improvement compared to ESG to achieve similar levels of weight-related QoL 6-months post-procedure.