ObjectiveTo evaluate the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of single-incision plus one-port laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SILS+1) for patients with obesity. MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on obese patients underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) from January 2023 to November 2024 at West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Patients were stratified into two groups: SILS+1 group and conventional multi-port LSG (MPLSG) group. Comparative parameters included operative time, postoperative hospital stay, complications rate, weight loss outcomes, and improvement in metabolic indicators [including hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)]. ResultsA total of 95 patients with obesity were enrolled, including 40 in the SILS+1 group and 55 in the MPLSG group. The SILS+1 group had significantly lower preoperative body mass index (BMI), HbA1c, and TC level compared to the MPLSG group (P<0.05), and a significantly higher proportion of female patients (P<0.05). Other baseline characteristics, such as age, TG and HDL-C levels, showed no statistically significant differences (P>0.05). Operative time was significantly longer in the SILS+1 group than in the MPLSG group [(100.16±17.53) min vs. (93.82±20.83) min, P<0.001]. The proportion of patients requiring drainage tube placement was significantly lower in the SILS+1 group as compared with the MPLSG group [55.0% (22/40) vs. 76.4% (42/55), P=0.049]. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the need for additional trocar sites, change in hemoglobin level from preoperative to postoperative day 1, postoperative hospital stay, or incidence of postoperative (Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅰ) complications (P>0.05). No 30-day readmissions occurred in either group. One patient in the SILS+1 group required an additional trocar site. Gastrointestinal patency was normal in all patients, with no signs of contrast agent leakage or stricture observed. Both SILS+1 and MPLSG procedures demonstrated equivalent efficacy in weight loss outcomes (P>0.05) and in their effects on HbA1c, TG, and TC levels (P>0.05). The SILS+1 procedure showed a significant advantage in improving HDL-C level (F=6.221, P=0.015), with significantly higher postoperative HDL-C level observed at 6 months postoperatively compared to the MPLSG group (F=2.500, P=0.027). ConclusionsFor selected obese populations, SILS+1 represents a feasible and safe alternative to MPLSG. This technique demonstrates equivalent efficacy to MPLSG in early-stage weight loss and metabolic improvement, serving as a transitional approach toward pure single-incision LSG.
Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease driven by multiple factors such as genetic susceptibility, environmental factors, and neuroendocrine system disorders. In recent years, the prevalence of obesity in China has been increasing year by year, and a series of obesity-induced diseases are a serious threat to public health. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, as a representative of the new weight loss drugs, have shown a therapeutic effect close to that of weight-loss metabolic surgery in clinical trials by targeting central appetite and metabolism and other synergistic effects, but they still face key problems such as significant differences in individual efficacy, limited evidence of the safety of long-term treatment, and regaining body weight after discontinuation of the drug. The mechanism of action and clinical evidence of several obesity drugs approved and listed in China are summarized, and the progress and challenges of obesity drug therapy in China in combination with recent advances in the development of multi-target agents internationally are discussed, with a view to providing a scientific basis for the clinical drug management of obesity and providing ideas for the research and development of obesity drugs in China as well as for the clinical transformation.