Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2022 Nov;46(11):1983-1991.
doi: 10.1038/s41366-022-01186-0. Epub 2022 Aug 4.

Length of biliopancreatic limb in Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and its impact on post-operative outcomes in metabolic and obesity surgery-systematic review and meta-analysis

Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Length of biliopancreatic limb in Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and its impact on post-operative outcomes in metabolic and obesity surgery-systematic review and meta-analysis

Anna Kamocka et al. Int J Obes (Lond). 2022 Nov.

Abstract

Background: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is a gold-standard procedure for treatment of obesity and associated comorbidities. No consensus on the optimal design of this operation has been achieved, with various lengths of bypassed small bowel limb lengths being used by bariatric surgeons. This aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine whether biliopancreatic limb (BPL) length in RYGB affects postoperative outcomes including superior reduction in weight, body mass index (BMI), and resolution of metabolic comorbidities associated with obesity.

Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted up until 1st June 2021. Meta-analysis of primary outcomes was performed utilising a random-effects model. Statistical significance was determined by p value < 0.05.

Results: Ten randomised controlled trials were included in the final quantitative analysis. No difference in outcomes following short versus long BLP in RYGB was identified at 12-72 months post-operatively, namely in BMI reduction, remission or improvement of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and complications (p > 0.05). Even though results of four studies showed superior total body weight loss in the long BPL cohorts at 24 months post-operatively (pooled mean difference -6.92, 95% CI -12.37, -1.48, p = 0.01), this outcome was not observed at any other timepoint.

Conclusion: Based on the outcomes of the present study, there is no definitive evidence to suggest that alteration of the BPL affects the quantity of weight loss or resolution of co-existent metabolic comorbidities associated with obesity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA diagram.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plot of studies assessing total body weight loss (kg) at 12 months.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Forest plot of studies assessing total body weight loss (kg) at 24 months.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Forest plot of studies assessing total body weight loss (kg) at 48–72 months.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Forest plot of studies assessing reduction in BMI (kg/m2) at 12 months.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Forest plot of studies assessing reduction in BMI (kg/m2) at 48–72 months.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Sarma S, Sockalingam S, Dash S. Obesity as a multisystem disease: trends in obesity rates and obesity-related complications. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2021;23(Suppl 1):S3–16. doi: 10.1111/dom.14290. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Collaborators GBDO. Afshin A, Forouzanfar MH, Reitsma MB, Sur P, Estep K, et al. Health effects of overweight and obesity in 195 countries over 25 years. N Engl J Med. 2017;377:13–27. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1614362. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ikramuddin S, Korner J, Lee WJ, Thomas AJ, Connett JE, Bantle JP, et al. Lifestyle intervention and medical management with vs without Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and control of hemoglobin A1c, LDL cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure at 5 years in the diabetes surgery study. JAMA. 2018;319:266–78. doi: 10.1001/jama.2017.20813. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Simonson DC, Halperin F, Foster K, Vernon A, Goldfine AB. Clinical and patient-centered outcomes in obese patients with type 2 diabetes 3 years after randomization to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery versus intensive lifestyle management: the SLIMM-T2D study. Diabetes Care. 2018;41:670–9. doi: 10.2337/dc17-0487. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Schauer PR, Bhatt DL, Kirwan JP, Wolski K, Aminian A, Brethauer SA, et al. Bariatric surgery versus intensive medical therapy for diabetes—5-year outcomes. N Engl J Med. 2017;376:641–51.. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1600869. - DOI - PMC - PubMed