Bariatric Surgery Survey 2018: Similarities and Disparities Among the 5 IFSO Chapters

Background: The 2018 IFSO Survey focused on similarities and disparities in the number and types of surgical and endoluminal interventions among the IFSO chapters occurred in the last decade. 

Methods: All IFSO Societies were asked to fill in the IFSO survey form on how many and which surgical and endoluminal interventions have been performed in the 2018. A special section was added, asking about the existence of national guidelines for bariatric and metabolic surgery, national recommendations for preoperative gastroscopy, type of reimbursement for bariatric/metabolic surgery, including for patients with BMI < 35 kg/m². The trend analyses from 2008 to 2018 were also performed. 

Results: Fifty-seven/65 (87.7%) IFSO Societies submitted completed forms. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery did not fill the IFSO survey form but provided an official report on the performed interventions. The total number of surgical and endoluminal procedures performed in 2018 in the world was 696,191. Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) remained the most commonly performed bariatric procedure (N = 386,096; 55.4%). Among the total reported bariatric/metabolic interventions, 604,223 (86.8%) were primary surgical and 29,167 (4.2%) primary endoluminal operations; 62,801 (9%) were revisional procedures. 

Conclusions: There was only a slight increase (10.317 procedures) in the total number of the reported bariatric interventions compared to the last IFSO survey. SG continues to be the most commonly performed operation since 2014. The one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB), currently the third most performed procedure after SG and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), continues to rise in popularity worldwide.