Evidence map›Paper›PMID 19655209›Full record

SynthesisObesity surgery2009

Bariatric surgery for the treatment of morbid obesity: a meta-analysis of weight loss outcomes for laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding and laparoscopic gastric bypass.

Jane Garb, Garry Welch, Sofija Zagarins, Jay Kuhn, John Romanelli

Abstract readComparative StudyMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Obesity surgery, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 85 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
85citing papers in PubMed, 11 pooled it
19.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

85 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 209 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Surgery for weight loss in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2014
    Pooled it
  6. Guideline
  7. Guideline
  8. Guideline
  9. Pooled it
  10. Pooled it
  11. Guideline
  12. Trial
  13. Trial
  14. Trial
  15. Trial
  16. 'Journal of health psychology · 2025
    Article
  17. Review
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. Article

25 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Jane GarbBiostatistics, Department of Academic Affairs, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA, USA.
Garry Welch
Sofija Zagarins
Jay Kuhn
John Romanelli
Baystate Medical Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Bariatric surgery has emerged as an important tool in the fight against morbid obesity. However, reviewers have noted that there is a scarcity of long-term clinical surveillance data for bariatric surgery beyond 1-year follow-up and that a high percentage of patients are lost to follow-up, raising questions regarding the accuracy of current outcomes estimates. A meta-analysis of clinical reports providing bariatric surgery weight loss outcomes for morbidly obese patients was conducted over the period 2003-2007. Studies included were randomized controlled trials, nonrandomized controlled trials, and consecutive case series involving patients receiving either laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) or laparoscopic gastric bypass (LGB) surgery. Included studies involved n = 7,383 patients and were largely academic hospital-based (78.6%) and retrospective in design (71.4%). Weight loss outcome was defined by percent excess weight loss (%EWL). Composite estimates showed a significantly greater %EWL for LGB surgery (62.6%) compared to LAGB (49.4%). The superiority of LGB persisted at all three postsurgical time points examined (1, 2, and >3 years). Problems were identified regarding incomplete or suboptimal data reporting in many studies reviewed, and high patient attrition was evident at 2-year (49.8% LAGB, 75.2% LGB) and >3-year (82.6% LAGB, 89% LGB) end points. This meta-analysis confirms the superiority of LGB to LAGB in %EWL found in earlier studies. Although problems in study quality raised significant concerns regarding the validity of current weight loss estimates in this area, there was no evidence of publication bias.

Indexed as

Gastric BypassGastroplastyOutcome Assessment, Health CareWeight LossAdultFemaleHumansLaparoscopyMaleObesity, MorbidTime FactorsTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID19655209
OpenAlexW2043001041

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.