Sleeve gastrectomy matches gastric bypass in terms of weight loss and health benefits

Sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass are overall fairly similar in terms of their effects on weight and comorbid conditions, according to three studies in a special obesity theme issue of JAMA.

Over the past decade, sleeve gastrectomy has replaced the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass as the procedure of choice in the management of patients with severe obesity. Sleeve gastrectomy—where a part of the stomach is removed—is a technically easier operation than the bypass procedure; however, there are less long term data supporting its use.

A large retrospective study shows that patients who underwent bariatric surgery had a lower rate of death from any cause over four years than patients who managed …