Interventional diabetology: the evolution of diabetes care in the XXI century.

Overview

It has been observed that bariatric surgery, in addition to its profound weight-reduction effects, leads to a durable resolution of type 2 diabetes. This supports the possibility that a cure for this disease may be obtainable, both by surgery as well as with drugs or devices that mimics the effects of surgery'. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of gastrointestinal surgery may also facilitate understanding of the elusive etiology of this condition. Current evidence supports a role for surgical interventions in the treatment algorithm of obese patients with type 2 diabetes, while a number of device-based gastrointestinal interventions are now being investigated as novel and less invasive alternatives. Interventional diabetology could be defined by the use and study of traditional surgical options and novel, gastrointestinal device- based interventions for diabetes. In this manuscript, we discuss how the introduction of interventional diabetology may shape the way we approach diabetes in the 21st century.