Histological behavior of hepatic steatosis in morbidly obese patients after weight loss induced by bariatric surgery

Background: Hepatic steatosis has a high prevalence among morbidly obese patients. Its relation to steato-hepatitis and cirrhosis has been extensively studied among these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavior of hepatic steatosis with weight loss 1 year after bariatric surgery. Methods: This study is a historical cohort that compared liver biopsies obtained from morbidly obese patients during the bariatric operation, with percutaneous biopsies taken from the same patient 1 year after surgery. The results were compared with weight loss, patients' profile (gender, age, body mass index (BMI) and waist/hip ratio), and with the presence of co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Results: 90 patients who had liver biopsies taken at the operation and postoperative period for bariatric surgery were included. The prevalence of hepatic steatosis was 87.6%. The average percent of excess weight loss was 81.4%. On the second biopsy, 16 patients (17.8%) of the total had the same degree of steatosis, 25 (27.8%) improved their steatosis pattern and 49 (54.4%) had normal hepatic tissue. There was no statistical difference regarding age, BMI, waist/hip ratio, and co-morbidities (P > 0.05), but there was a difference in gender (P=0.044). Conclusion: Significant improvement in the hepatic histology of steatosis was observed after weight loss induced by bariatric surgery in most patients. There was no patient with a worsening in the histology.