Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass vs Sleeve Gastrectomy for Remission of Type 2 Diabetes

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) are the bariatric procedures most commonly used for the management of obesity. Whether one or the other is associated with a higher chance of remission of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is unclear.

This work aims to compare the efficacy of RYGB and SG for T2D remission at 1, 3, and 5 years after surgery.

Four databases were searched until January 2020.

Randomized controlled studies with at least 12 months of follow-up of patients with T2D allocated to RYGB or SG were selected.

To ensure uniformity, broad and narrow criteria for T2D remission were defined. The number of patients achieving remission of T2D at each assessment was extracted. Data were pooled using a random-effects model.

Ten studies were included, evaluating 778 patients. The overall prevalence of achievement of broad and narrow criteria for T2D remission was 73% and 53% at the 1-year, 60% and 48% at the 3-year, and 51% and 43% at the 5-year assessment. Compared to SG, RYGB was associated with a higher chance of achieving broad and narrow criteria for remission at 1 year after surgery (risk ratio [RR] = 1.34 vs RR = 1.22) and broad criteria for remission at 5 years (RR = 1.18). No other differences were found.

The present meta-analysis suggests a more favorable effect of RYGB than SG on achieving T2D remission in the short-term only, although the evidence currently available does not clarify whether differences in this outcome are confirmed long term or fade thereafter.