To assess the performance of routine esophagogastric transit studies (OGT) performed between day 2 (D2) and day 4 (D4) following sleeve gastrectomy for the diagnosis of gastric fistula.

Single center study including 736 patients undergoing surgery for sleeve gastrectomy including 32 of whom developed gastric fistula. Seven hundred and twenty OGT on D2 and 86 abdominal and pelvic CT scans were performed to investigate for a fistula and whether or not a blood collection was present. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, Youden index (YI) and dosimetry were calculated for both investigations.

The sensitivity and specificity of OGT for the diagnosis of fistula were 7% and 98% respectively with a PPV of 18%, an NPV of 96% and YI of 0.06. The mean DSP was 5500μGy.m². Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and Youden index for CT were 55%, 100%, 100%, 81%, 0.55, respectively for the presence of a fistula; and 96%, 86%, 78%, 98%, 0.83 for the presence of a non-blood collection and; 100%, 86%, 78%, 100%, 0.86 for the presence of a non-blood collection and/or fistula. The mean DLP was 3700 mGy.cm.

Because of its very poor sensitivity for the diagnosis of gastric fistula, the OGT on D2 needs to be reconsidered. CT performed on clinical suspicion appears to be a better diagnostic tool.