Systematic Review of Gastric Banding vs. Roux-en-Y Bypass

In Europe, laparoscopic gastric banding is the most common bariatric procedure, whereas open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is most common in the U.S. In a systematic review, researchers assessed patient outcomes related to each procedure. Fourteen studies (1 randomized trial) were included in the analysis; most were retrospective and did not include baseline matching of patients across study arms.

Data were evaluated on 6600 patients (mean age, 40; mean body-mass index, 45 kg/m²; 80% female). Loss of excess body weight at 1 year was greater for patients who underwent Roux-en-Y (range across studies, 51%–76%) than for those who underwent gastric banding (range, 31%–54%); the absolute difference between the groups was 25%. Among studies in which re…