TY - JOUR T1 - Review: sparse high quality evidence supports surgery for obesity JF - Evidence Based Medicine JO - Evid Based Med SP - 141 LP - 141 DO - 10.1136/ebm.10.5.141 VL - 10 IS - 5 A2 - , Y1 - 2005/10/01 UR - http://ebm.bmj.com/content/10/5/141.abstract N2 - Maggard MA, Shugarman LR, Suttorp M, et al. Meta-analysis: surgical treatment of obesity. Ann Intern Med 2005;142:547–59.OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science 
 
 Q How effective and safe are surgical treatments for obesity? Data sources: Medline and EMBASE/Excerpta Medica (to July 2003), and existing systematic reviews. Study selection and assessment: randomised controlled trials (RCTs), controlled clinical trials, cohort studies, and case series that evaluated surgical treatment of obesity. Outcomes: weight loss, mortality, complication rates, and control of major obesity related comorbid conditions. 147 studies met the inclusion criteria: 89 reported weight loss results (mean age 38 y, 75% women, baseline body mass index 47 kg/m2), 134 reported mortality rates, and 128 reported complications rates. The analysis focused on the most common currently performed surgical procedures: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) (including open and laparoscopic), vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG), adjustable gastric banding, and biliopancreatic diversion (including duodenal switch). Weight loss. 3 RCTs compared surgery with no surgery. 2 older RCTs favoured surgery: 1 RCT from 1984 showed greater weight loss at 24 months with horizontal gastroplasty plus diet than with diet alone (31 v 8 kg); 1 RCT from 1979 comparing jejunoileal bypass with medical treatment showed a 37 kg difference favouring surgery at 24 months. 1 RCT available only in abstract form that compared surgery with medical therapy (very low calorie diet, pharmacotherapy, and … ER -