Sleeve Gastrectomy vs. Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery

Sleeve gastrectomy is a restrictive bariatric procedure in which a large portion of the stomach's greater curvature is resected. In this randomized trial, Swiss surgeons compared sleeve gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in 217 patients (mean age, 43; mean body-mass index, 43 kg/m²; mean weight, 124 kg).

The 30-day complication rate was somewhat lower with sleeve gastrectomy than with bypass (8% vs. 17%; P=0.07); infections accounted for most of the difference. One patient (in the bypass group) died postoperatively. At 1 year, mean weight loss was similar in the two groups (37 kg with sleeve gastrectomy; 40 kg with bypass).