Report on assessment of surgical procedures for the treatment of obesity released by EUnetHTA

At the beginning of August 2021, the European Network for Health Technology Assessment, EUnetHTA, released a final report on the surgical procedures for the treatment of obesity. The evaluation was aimed to determine the comparative effectiveness and potential superiority of different bariatric procedures for the treatment of adult obesity in improving outcomes of importance for patients with weight loss, diabetes control, etc.

The following key conclusions are provided:

• The results suggest little or no difference in the effects of different bariatric surgery procedures on weight loss and diabetes control. However, the results are based mainly on low to very low certainty evidence, with few or even single studies providing data for many of the comparisons;
• No evidence was found for the effectiveness of the more recent single anastomosis duodenal-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy or single anastomosis sleeve ileal bypass procedures;
• No study reported on patient satisfaction with the procedure;
• More high-quality research is needed to determine the relative effect of most obesity surgery procedures, as results for many comparisons are based on data from few studies at high risk of bias;
• There is a need for studies with longer follow-up in order to assess the long-term effects of obesity surgery;
• There is a need for standardized definitions, uniform classifications of adverse events, and reporting standards in this field of research to improve the evidence base.

The full details in English can be found here.

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