Publications by authors named "Ronald S L Liem"

Purpose: Patient-reported outcomes are important as obesity is a chronic disease with a substantial impact. A multidisciplinary task force selected six scales (48 questions) from the validated BODY-Q questionnaire. This subset was gradually introduced and evaluated in a mandatory nationwide registry.

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The lack of standardization in patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) has made measurement and comparison of quality of life (QoL) outcomes in research focused on obesity treatment challenging. This study reports on the results of the second and third global multidisciplinary Standardizing Quality of life measures in Obesity Treatment (S.Q.

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Introduction: Specialized lifestyle programmes for patients undergoing metabolic-bariatric surgery (MBS) are provided to facilitate adjustment and adherence to a healthy lifestyle after surgery. However, pre-programme food and health literacy in MBS patients is often unknown. In the general population, approximately three-quarters of people exhibit sufficient health literacy.

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Purpose: The focus of measuring success in obesity treatment is shifting from weight loss to patients' health and quality of life. The objective of this study was to select a core set of patient-reported outcomes and patient-reported outcome measures to be used in clinical obesity care.

Materials And Methods: The Standardizing Quality of Life in Obesity Treatment III, face-to-face hybrid consensus meeting, including people living with obesity as well as healthcare providers, was held in Maastricht, the Netherlands, in 2022.

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Introduction: Bariatric surgery aims for optimal patient outcomes, often evaluated through the percentage total weight loss (%TWL). Quality registries employ funnel plots for outcome comparisons between hospitals. However, funnel plots are traditionally used for dichotomous outcomes, requiring %TWL to be dichotomized, potentially limiting feedback quality.

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Introduction: Different limb lengths are used in Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery, as there is no consensus which limb length strategy has the best outcomes. The biliopancreatic limb (BPL) is thought to play an important role in achieving weight loss and associated comorbidity resolution. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of a longer BPL on weight loss and comorbidity improvement at 5 years after primary RYGB.

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Introduction: A large variation in outcome has been reported after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) across countries and institutions. We aimed to evaluate the effect of surgical technique on total weight loss (TWL) and gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Methods: Observational cohort study based on data from the national registries for bariatric surgery in the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

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The extent to which genetic variations contribute to interindividual differences in weight loss and metabolic outcomes after bariatric surgery is unknown. Identifying genetic variants that impact surgery outcomes may contribute to clinical decision making. This review evaluates current evidence addressing the association of genetic variants with weight loss and changes in metabolic parameters after bariatric surgery.

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption of regular healthcare leading to reduced hospital attendances, repurposing of surgical facilities, and cancellation of cancer screening programmes. This study aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 on surgical care in the Netherlands.

Methods: A nationwide study was conducted in collaboration with the Dutch Institute for Clinical Auditing.

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Background: Literature remains scarce on patients experiencing weight recurrence after initial adequate weight loss following primary bariatric surgery. Therefore, this study compared the extent of weight recurrence between patients who received a Sleeve Gastrectomy (SG) versus Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) after adequate weight loss at 1-year follow-up.

Methods: All patients undergoing primary RYGB or SG between 2015 and 2018 were selected from the Dutch Audit for Treatment of Obesity.

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Background: Risk-prediction tools can support doctor-patient (shared) decision making in clinical practice by providing information on complication risks for different types of bariatric surgery. However, external validation is imperative to ensure the generalizability of predictions in a new patient population.

Objective: To perform an external validation of the risk-prediction model for serious complications from the Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative (MBSC) for Dutch bariatric patients using the nationwide Dutch Audit for Treatment of Obesity (DATO).

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Purpose: Hospitals performing a certain bariatric procedure in high volumes may have better outcomes. However, they could also have worse outcomes for some patients who are better off receiving another procedure. This study evaluates the effect of hospital preference for a specific type of bariatric procedure on their overall weight loss results.

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Background: Primary laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) has high rates of patients not achieving the desired weight loss, and it remains unclear which bariatric conversion procedure gives better results.

Objective: To compare weight loss among patients undergoing conversion one-anastomosis gastric bypass (cOAGB) and conversion Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (cRYGB) after a failed LAGB.

Setting: Nationwide population-based study including all 18 hospitals providing metabolic and bariatric surgery.

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Quality of life is a key outcome that is not rigorously measured in obesity treatment research due to the lack of standardization of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and PRO measures (PROMs). The S.Q.

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Background: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) has proven to be an effective treatment for obesity with excellent long-term results, even though weight regain can occur. A method to improve the results of RYGB and minimize chance of weight regain is banded RYGB. Better sustained weight loss is also related to higher remission of comorbidities.

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In 2020, updated versions of the clinical practice guidelines of the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery, the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Dutch Federation for Medical Specialist clinical practice guidelines on bariatric surgery were published. We systematically reviewed and compared them on recommendations and references. Although the authors would have had access to the same literature, only 5 out of 655 unique references were used by all 3 guidelines and just 49 references by any combination of 2 guidelines.

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Purpose: The BODY-Q is a rigorously developed patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for patients seeking treatment for obesity and body contouring surgery. A limitation of the uptake of the BODY-Q in weight management treatments is the absence of scales designed to measure eating-specific concerns. We aimed to develop and validate 5 new BODY-Q scales measuring weight loss expectations, eating behaviors, distress, symptoms, and work life.

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Introduction: Pooling population-based data from all national bariatric registries may provide international real-world evidence for outcomes that will help establish a universal standard of care, provided that the same variables and definitions are used. Therefore, this study aims to assess the concordance of variables across national registries to identify which outcomes can be used for international collaborations.

Methods: All 18 countries with a national bariatric registry who contributed to The International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) Global Registry report 2019 were requested to share their data dictionary by email.

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Background: Bariatric surgery among patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) can induce complete remission. However, it remains unclear whether sleeve gastrectomy (SG) or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) has better T2D remission within a population-based daily practice.

Objectives: To compare patients undergoing RYGB and SG on the extent of T2D remission at the 1-year follow-up.

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Article Synopsis
  • - In the Netherlands, patients seeking bariatric surgery must first complete a 6-month mandatory weight loss program (MWP), based on the belief that this leads to better outcomes.
  • - A study examined weight loss differences between two patient groups: those who completed the MWP before surgery (immediate group) and those who did not qualify until afterward (delayed group), finding the immediate group had a higher percentage of weight loss during the MWP.
  • - Ultimately, after analyzing data from over 2,600 patients, the study concluded that delaying qualification for surgery does not significantly affect weight loss three years post-surgery, suggesting that the MWP's impact on long-term outcomes may be minimal.
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Background: Despite the publication of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Outcome Reporting Standards in 2015, there is still a great variety in definitions used for reporting remission of co-morbidities after bariatric surgery. This hampers meaningful comparison of results.

Objective: To assess compliance with the ASMBS standards in current literature, and to evaluate use of the standards by applying them in a report on the outcomes of 5 co-morbidities after bariatric surgery.

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Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the use and short-term outcome of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) in Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands.

Background: Although bariatric surgery is performed in high volumes worldwide, no consensus exists regarding the choice of bariatric procedure for specific groups of patients.

Methods: Data from 3 national registries for bariatric surgery were used.

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