The Effectiveness of Endoscopic Gastroplasty for Obesity Treatment According to FDA Thresholds: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Based on Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Endoscopic bariatric therapies (EBTs) are promising alternatives to conventional surgery for obesity. The aim of this study is to compare efficacy and safety through a systematic review and meta-analysis of the endoscopic gastroplasty techniques versus conservative treatment. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, Lilacs/Bireme. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) enrolling obese patients comparing endoscopic gastroplasty to sham or diet/exercise were considered eligible. Among 6014 records, three RCTs were selected for meta-analysis. The total sample was 459 patients (312 EBTs vs 147 control). Mean total body weight loss in the intervention group (IG) was 4.8% higher than the control group (CG) at 12 months (p = 0.01). The IG responder rate was 44.31% at 12 months. Therefore, the endoscopic gastroplasty is more effective than conservative therapies but do not achieve FDA thresholds.