Posterior gastric vessel is commonly encountered (4-99%) during surgery of the stomach, spleen, and pancreas. Due to high variations in its origin, and course, it has not been unanimously described in literature. Its significance in bariatric surgery is largely neglected. We reviewed videos of 100 bariatric surgery cases done in our institute. This vessel was noted in 88 cases. We could identify the vessel in 54/63 LSG cases and all cases required division to free the fundus. It was identified in 34/37 RYGB cases. Thirty-one cases required lateralization while 3 cases required division due to more medial origin of the vessel. Its division or lateralization facilitates adequate mobilization of fundus to achieve the ideal configuration of sleeve in LSG and pouch in LRYGB.
Keywords: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass; Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy; Posterior gastric vessel; Retrogastric vessel.