Dr. Starpoli blog on GI disorders

Therapy for Obesity

Written by Rachel Jones | Mar 12, 2014 2:41:00 PM

Americans who suffer from either being obese or have gastrointestinal issues can now undergo an incisionless surgical procedure that will control or eradicate their medical challenges with limited pain and reduced surgical recovery time.  

Incisionless Reflux Surgery

There is now an incisionless alternative for suffers of gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD.  GERD is a steadily increasing phenomenon in the nation that is in direct correlation to the surge in obesity in America. With the new improved incisionless surgical procedures, patients no longer have to be tied to continuous use of medications or be subjected to open invasive surgical procedures.  The EsophyX Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF) procedure is one such technique that is successful in about 80% of cases.

                                

Obesity Incisionless Surgery

There are many obese patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery and it did not work out.  If you experienced weight regained after gastric bypass surgery there is a wonderful proven surgical option to treat your weight regain. It is a less invasive surgical option that will allow your doctor to treat your obesity challenge safely without leaving a single scar.

The obesity surgery option utilizes endoscopic instruments which are totally FDA approved.  They will effectively decrease the stoma size which will result in weight loss. 

The procedure actually introduces the endoscopic suturing device through your mouth and once it reaches the stomach pouch and stoma sutures are placed in them.  Your food intake will be restricted due to the restricted size of the stoma and stomach pouch.  One of the benefits of this noninvasive procedure is that your post operative recovery time is lessened and you will experience minimal pain. This technique is known as Endolumenal Revision of Obesity Surgery and is also referred to as the EROS Procedure.  

New Advances in Surgical Procedures

There are additional innovative procedures that are being developed for those who have obese issues and these options are proving successful.  Intragastric balloon use has increased in use recently and is a simple and incisionless procedure.  An inert balloon is inserted endoscopically into your stomach and is then inflated and is kept in place for six to twelve months, and is then removed.

                                             

Endoscopic surgeons are also investigating duodenojejunal bypass sleeves which are inserted endoscopically through the mouth. Patients who utilized this option experienced a 22 percent excess weight loss in 12 weekscompared to the patients that simply were on a low-fat diet. These medical trials were conducted in Boston.

Another promising minimally invasive procedure is endolumenal suturing, which takes about 45 minutes and is performed on an outpatient basis. The endoluminal vertical gastroplasty was done by using continuous sutures. Three groups of patients were studied and after 12 months the groups had loss 49%, 56%, and 85% respectively.