I was privileged to be able to attend the excellent BOMSS Meeting in Leamington Spa last week. Internationally recognised speakers attended including George Fielding (New York), Bruno Dillemans (Bruges), Michel Gagner (Montreal) and John Dixon (Melbourne). A lively debate took place on Thursday with the three bariatric surgeons debating the ideal weight loss surgery option for a hypothetical patient aged 28 years with a BMI of 42. Audience participation was encouraged and they voted for their recommendation before and after the debate. There was a swing of opinion favouring the adjustable gastric band rather than the roux en y gastric by pass for this case after the arguments were heard. The debate continues…

The fact that this controversy exists was emphasized by Professor Jane Blazeby from Bristol. She requested support from surgeons around the UK for a multi-centre randomised trial of sleeve vs gastric bypass vs adjustable gastric band to try and work out which weight loss operation produces the best outcome and quality of life for patients. This is a large project which will require a lot of patients to take part and I hope that Leeds can support recruitment of patients for this study. We may finally be able to produce an answer regarding the most effective weight loss surgery procedure of these 3 options.