Jejunoileal side-to-side anastomosis: New hope for patients with type 2 diabetes?

In this article, we comment on an article by Wang et al published in the World Journal of Diabetes. Existing treatments with oral medications can partially mitigate the toxicity of elevated blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, these patients often require lifelong, costly medications, and many struggle with poor compliance. To address the limitations of pharmacological treatments, laparoscopic jejunal-ileal lateral anastomosis has become increasingly common in clinical practice and generally yields favorable outcomes. This procedure stimulates the secretion of larger amounts of glucagon-like peptide-1 by intestinal L cells, which in turn promotes pancreatic islet cell proliferation, reduces insulin resistance, and effectively controls glucose and lipid metabolism disorders. Nonetheless, further research is needed to fully explore its indications, contraindications, the enhancement of patients' quality of life and patients' satisfaction with the subjective experience of treatment and long-term effects.