Obesity solutions: Mini Gastric Bypass/MGB is safe and effective

Laparoscopic mini gastric bypass (LMGB) is at least not inferior to laparoscopic gastric bypass (LRYGB), laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in terms of weight loss and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) remission and has few complications. These are the conclusions from a met-analysis by researchers from Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai, China, who state that future clinical trials are still needed to demonstrate its utility and establish the guidelines for LMGB.

The paper, ‘Efficacy of Laparoscopic Mini Gastric Bypass for Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,’ published in the journal Gastroenterology Research and Practice, is a systematic review and meta-analysis that evaluates and compares the efficacy, advantages and complications of LMGB with those of LAGB, LSG, and LRYGB, and reports the evidence to support the use of LMGB in treating obesity and T2DM.

The researchers conducted the literature search that identified 31 articles: 16 non-controlled single-arm case studies reported the surgical outcomes of LMGB, eight studies compared LMGB with LAGB, six studies compared LMGB with LSG and five studies compared LMGB with LRYGB; they were included in the meta-analyses, respectively. Overall, 16 studies reported the outcomes of LMGB for obese patients with participants ranging from 10 to 2,410. Female patients were predominant and mean BMI>35 in most studies. The percentages of patients with T2DM varied from 0 to 100%.