More weight loss with gastric bypass surgery than laparoscopic procedure: need prospective, randomized trial.(Clinical Rounds)

BOSTON -- Compared with gastric bypass surgery, both laparoscopic gastric bypass and laparoscopic gastric banding are safer surgical procedures, Dr. R. Armour Forse said at a symposium on treating gastrointestinal disorders sponsored by Boston University.

As an open operation, gastric bypass produces more weight loss and greater resolution of comorbidities than do other procedures. But safety concerns have focused attention on the laparoscopic alternatives, said Dr. Forse, the Laszlo N. Tauber professor of surgery at the university.

A prospective, randomized trial is needed to compare the two laparoscopic procedures, but organizing such a study will be …