Obesity and bariatric surgery, algorithm predicts how many kilos will be lost with surgery

2023-08-30 12:15:58

It is possible to know in advance how many kilos an obese person can lose with bariatric surgery. This is predicted by an algorithm, developed by a group of researchers from the University of Lille (France): based on artificial intelligence, it makes it possible to predict whether or not it is advisable to resort to gastric bypass surgery or sleeve gastrectomy. The study, supported by the European Union’s Sophia project, coordinated by the University College of Dublin, was published in the journal ‘The Lancet Digital Health’ and the results were presented and discussed at the world congress of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (Ifso), starting today in Naples. It will be chaired by the Italian Luigi Angrisani, associate professor in general surgery at the Federico II University of Naples.

“Weight loss following bariatric surgery can vary widely, making it more difficult for patients and doctors to decide whether or not to use a scalpel,” explains Carel W Le Roux, a scientist at the University College of Dublin and among the authors of the study – using artificial intelligence, we have developed a new pre-intervention forecasting tool, created with data from eight countries in Europe, America and Asia”.

“The principle of this project is very interesting and the methods used are extremely new – underlines Angrisani – The results will be very useful in clinical practice, but we also know that in real life patients are not always inclined to follow the suggestions of the surgeon and the community surgery may require further studies to confirm the benefit and accuracy of these predictors.”

To create the new prediction tool, the researchers used data from 9,861 patients, from which seven key factors were then selected that appear to have a greater influence on the outcomes of bariatric surgery. In particular, the prediction model is based on age, weight, height, smoking history, diabetes status and duration. “These variables are easily available in different clinical contexts without the need for interpretation and do not require laboratory tests – specifies Le Roux – The new model developed is therefore easy to use for both healthcare professionals and patients”.

The results of the study show that the factor that most influences weight loss is the type of surgery. “The results of the sleeve and the gastric bypass are practically indistinguishable only up to 1 year after the operation – comments Angrisani – but over 5 years the study demonstrates the superiority of the gastric bypass compared to the sleeve gastrectomy”. Another key factor is type 2 diabetes. “Several studies have already suggested that weight loss is lower in patients with type 2 diabetes than in those without, particularly in those with uncontrolled diabetes – underlines Angrisani – Finally Interestingly, the new prediction algorithm does not include gender among the most significant predictors of weight loss after bariatric surgery.”