Gastric Bypass Better Than Gastric Banding
According to recent evidence, Gastric bypass surgery results in more successful weight loss than gastric banding.Â
Patients who had the bypass surgery showed more consistent weight loss says Dr. Nancy Puzziferri of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who contributed to the report.
Evidence during the study showed that more rapid weight loss came with the gastric bypass surgery, but 3 years after the surgery, gastric bypass and banding showed similar results.
According to the Dr. Puzziferri and her team of researchers, bypass is a more complicated surgery than banding, but banding requires more intense follow-ups, so each patient should weigh the pros and cons.
"Risk-benefit ratios and the patient’s ability to return to clinic are critical factors in choosing which procedure better suits a particular patient," the researchers wrote.
Puzziferri’s team studied 1,102 patients who had gastric bypasses, and 631 patients who had gastric banding between 1997 and 2006.Â
The results for bypass patients were more consistent than banding patients. Bypass patients lost more weight at a faster rate.
Overall, bypass patients were 18-times more likely to have achieved successful weight loss in 6 months than those patients with the banding procedure. After two years, the odds were 9-times greater for bypass patients.
The researchers believe the weight loss associated with gastric banding is similar to the type of weight loss seen with low-calorie diets.
"Behavioral practices may be more critical to weight loss success in gastric banding than in gastric bypass," the team suggests. "Despite its higher operative risk, gastric bypass may be a better choice for selected patients."
Dr. Puzziferri and her team suggest a longer study of at least 5 years is needed to correctly evaluate the benefits, risks, and costs of the two weight-loss procedures.
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