The SAGES masters program presents the 10 seminal articles for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND

The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Masters Program includes eight distinct clinical pathways. The Bariatric Surgery Pathway focuses on three anchoring procedures, including the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) which is the most commonly performed bariatric procedure in the United States. In this article, we present and discuss the top 10 seminal articles regarding the LSG.

METHODS

The literature was systematically searched to identify the most cited papers on LSG. The SAGES Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery committee reviewed the most cited article list, and using expert consensus elected the seminal articles deemed most pertinent to LSG. These articles were reviewed in detail by committee members and are presented here.

RESULTS

The top 10 most cited sentinel papers on LSG focus on operative safety, outcomes, surgical technique, and physiologic changes after the procedure. A summary of each paper is presented, including expert appraisal and commentary.

CONCLUSIONS

The seminal articles presented support the widespread acceptance and use of the LSG by bolstering the understanding of its mechanism of action and by demonstrating its safety and excellent patient outcomes. All bariatric surgeons should be familiar with these 10 landmark articles.