Comparative Effects of Three Kinds of Bariatric Surgery: A Randomized Case-Control Study in Obese Patients

Laparoscopic bariatric surgery is necessary for obese patients who cannot control body weight through daily diet and exercise, or other non-surgical ways. Three kinds of laparoscopic bariatric surgery, namely Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, and sleeve gastrectomy with jejunal bypass, are available for weight loss in clinical practice, but their comparative effects are unclear. In this study, these were compared to illustrate their clinical effects.

A case-control study was conducted on 175 participants who fulfilled the inclusion criteria of laparoscopic bariatric surgery, while the controls were the same subjects before and after surgery, as well as with different surgeries specifically. Standardized weight loss measures were compared using analysis of covariance, with months from surgery as the covariant, including percentage total weight loss and excess body mass index (BMI) loss.

A total of 175 patients were enrolled in this study (age 38 ± 10 years; BMI 46 ± 5 kg/m²), with a mean postsurgery follow-up of 18 ± 6 months. No significant difference was included among the enlisted patients before bariatric surgery. However, after surgery according to personal health indexes of patients and professional assessment by doctors, patients specifically receiving one of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, and sleeve gastrectomy with jejunal bypass had no significant difference between weight loss and BMI, while the most important factors were dietary control and exercise after bariatric surgery.

This study suggests that bariatric surgery is only a prerequisite for weight loss, and the long-term dietary control and exercise can help patients achieve optimal weight loss.