NCT07483957

Linear vs. Circular Stapled Gastrojejunal Anastomosis in Bariatric Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass Surgery in Switzerland

Completed Last updated 19 March 2026

What this trial tests

trial testing Linear anastomosis in Bariatric Surgery (Gastric Bypass) in 21,375 participants. Completed in 15 May 2025.

Timeline

1 January 2015

Primary endpoint
31 December 2022

15 May 2025

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen
Status	Completed
Study type	OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment	21,375
Start date	1 January 2015
Primary completion	31 December 2022
Estimated completion	15 May 2025
Sites	1 location across Switzerland

Drugs / interventions tested

• Linear anastomosis
• Circular anastomosis

Conditions studied

• Bariatric Surgery (Gastric Bypass) — all drugs for Bariatric Surgery (Gastric Bypass) →

Sponsor

Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen

Who can join

20 and older, any sex, with Bariatric Surgery (Gastric Bypass). Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Bariatric surgery has become one of the preferred options in treatment of severe obesity and its comorbidities in the Western world. In Switzerland, the approximate 5000 annual bariatric operations are performed exclusively in centres certified by the "Swiss Society of Study of Morbid Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (SMOB)". Among the different bariatric surgical procedures, the laparoscopic gastric bypass remains one of the most frequently performed operations. A critical step of this operation is the creation of the gastrojejunal anastomosis. This can be done using either a linear or a circular stapler. The optimal method continues to be discussed in current academic research. The linear anastomosis technique seems to be more feasible, uses smaller incisions and is therefore faster performed. The circular anastomosis technique benefits from a standardised diameter of the anastomosis with consecutive higher reproducibility. No difference in long-term weight loss have been described for these two techniques until today. The linear technique has been linked to marginal ulcers, while the circular technique has been associated with higher rates of stenosis and incisional hernia. The associations with other long-term adverse events such as internal hernias remain under discussion. However, according to several international analyses, the linear technique seems to have favourable short-term outcomes with shorter operation time and lower rates of wound complications and postoperative bleeding. Both techniques are used in Switzerland but Swiss national data on this topic is scarce. Given the high annual case volume of bariatric surgery in Switzerland and the inconsistent international evidence, a systematic comparison of these two techniques is of relevance.

This retrospective registry study provides Swiss national data on short-term postoperative outcomes after elective laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass from 2015 to 2022. It aims to compare the linear vs. circular gastrojejunal anastomosis in terms of postoperative short-term postoperative, reoperation rate, and length of hospital stay.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial. Completed trials usually publish results within 12-18 months.