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Aims Bariatric surgeries induce profound weight loss (decrease in body mass index, BMI), through a decrease in fat mass (FM) and to a much lesser degree of fat-free mass (FFM). Some reports indicate that the weight which is lost after gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is at least partially regained 2 years after surgery. Here we compare changes in BMI and body composition induced by four bariatric procedures in a 5 years follow-up study. Methods We analyzed retrospectively modifications in BMI, FM and FFM obtained through Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), sleeve gastrectomy (SG), biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) and a long common limb revisional biliopancreatic diversion (reduction of the gastric pouch and long common limb; BPD + LCL−R). Patients were evaluated at baseline and yearly for 5 years. Of the whole cohort of 565 patients, a subset of 180 patients had all yearly evaluations, while the remaining had incomplete evaluations. Setting University Hospital. Results In a total of 180 patients evaluated yearly for 5 years, decrease in BMI and FM up to 2 years was more rapid with RYGB and SG than BPD and BPD + LCL−R; with RYGB and SG both BMI and FM slightly increased in the years 3–5. At 5 years, the differences were not significant. When analysing the differences between 2 and 5 years, BPD + LCL−R showed a somewhat greater effect on BMI and FM than RYGB, BPD and SG. Superimposable results were obtained when the whole cohort of 565 patients with incomplete evaluation was considered. Conclusions All surgeries were highly effective in reducing BMI and fat mass at around 2 years; with RYGB and SG both BMI and FM slightly increased in the years 3–5, while BPD and BPD + LCL−R showed a slight further decreases in the same time interval.

Long-term comparisons between bariatric surgical techniques have been performed for gastric bypass (RYGB), sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), and biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) vs gastric banding (LAGB), but short-term studies (6 months–4 years) have only compared biliointestinal bypass (BIBP) and LAGB. The participating institutions regularly perform both BIBP and LAGB with a common protocol, and the aim of this retrospective study was to compare long-term effects of the two procedures on body weight, on clinical and metabolic variables, and on resolution of obesity and of diabetes. All procedures performed between 01/01/1998 and 31/12/2005 were considered; 73 out of 91 patients undergoing BIBP, and 154 out of 249 patients undergoing LAGB were evaluable up to 9 years. BIBP was significantly more effective than LAGB in terms of weight loss and of resolution of obesity (BMI