Weight loss showdown: surgery vs diet before knee or hip replacement
NCT ID NCT05156762
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study aimed to see if bariatric surgery or medical weight loss (diet and exercise) helps severely obese patients lose enough weight to safely undergo hip or knee replacement. Only 3 people took part before the study was stopped early. The goal was to get patients to a BMI of 40 or lower before surgery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- bariatric surgery (sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass) and medical weight loss (diet, exercise, counseling)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that weight loss before joint replacement improves surgical outcomes and reduces complications.
- What could go wrong
- The trial was terminated early with only 3 participants, so results are very limited. Weight loss may not be enough to improve joint replacement outcomes.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
3 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2022
- Finished
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Sep 2025
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion criteria: * Patient must be 18 years or older who has met the clinical/standard care criteria for TJA (patient must have exhausted conservative measures to treat hip or knee joint arthritis (NSAIDS, physical therapy, corticosteroid injections)), except patient has a BMI \> 40 kg/m2 * Patient must be interested in TJA as a treatment option * Patient must be willing to be randomized to either a bariatric surgery study arm, a medical weight loss study arm, or a "usual standard of care" study arm Exclusion Criteria: * Patient has undergone prior laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass * Patient has undergone prior hip or knee joint replacement for the affected joint * Active substance use disorder * Females with child-bearing potential
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Boston Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, United States
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