The Effectiveness and Risks of Bariatric Surgery

The prevalence of obesity and outcomes of bariatric surgery are well established. However, analyses of the surgery impact have not been updated and comprehensively investigated since 2003.

To examine the effectiveness and risks of bariatric surgery using up-to-date, comprehensive data and appropriate meta-analytic techniques. DATA SOURCES: Literature searches of Medline, Embase, Scopus, Current Contents, Cochrane Library, and Clinicaltrials.gov between 2003 and 2012 were performed. STUDY SELECTION: Exclusion criteria included publication of abstracts only, case reports, letters, comments, or reviews; animal studies; languages other than English; duplicate studies; no surgical intervention; and no population of interest. Inclusion criteria were a report of surgical procedure performed and at least 1 outcome of interest resulting from the studied surgery was reported: comorbidities, mortality, complications, reoperations, or weight loss. Of the 25,060 initially identified articles, 24,023 studies met the exclusion criteria, and 259 met the inclusion criteria. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: A review protocol was followed throughout. Three reviewers independently reviewed studies, abstracted data, and resolved disagreements by consensus. Studies were evaluated for quality. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Mortality, complications, reoperations, weight loss, and remission of obesity-related diseases.