Laparoscopic endoscopic cooperative surgery for gastric subepithelial lesion during laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for severe obesity.

Background: The frequency of pathologies detected incidentally before, during, and after a bariatric surgery, such as subepithelial lesion (SEL) of the stomach, is likely to rise as bariatric surgery becomes more common.

Case presentation: A 49-year-old female patient presented with severe obesity, for which laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) was planned. During a preoperative examination, endoscopy revealed a 10 mm SEL in the posterior wall of the upper body of the stomach. Excision of the SEL was performed simultaneously with the LSG. Endoscopy demonstrated that the SEL was situated on the remnant side of the stomach. Endoscopic resection using laparoscopic endoscopic cooperative surgery was performed for the SEL, and the thinned gastric wall was closed by hand-sewing. Thereafter, LSG was performed. Pathological analysis of the SEL led to a diagnosis of leiomyoma. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 6.

Conclusion: Surgeons should be prepared to manage incidentally detected pathologies before, during, and after bariatric surgery and to choose the surgical method most suitable to the individual patient.