Endoluminal Weight Loss Surgery

Wouldn't it be nice to come in for your weight loss surgery procedure or revision procedure and not have to worry about incisions and scars. How about less pain, shorter hospital stays and fewer complications? This is all being made possible through advances in endoluminal surgical techniques.

The field of bariatric surgery is constantly evolving as new technologies are developed. The first major shift was changing from open surgery to laparoscopic surgery, which is surgery using a camera and very tiny incisions. The next step will be endolumenal surgery, which is done completely through the mouth with no incisions.

Studies have shown that up to 20 percent of gastric bypass patients regain a significant amount of the weight they originally lost after surgery. This may be due to stretching of the stomach pouch or the connection between the pouch and the small intestine. Until recently, the only treatment for these two problems was revisional surgery, performed either laparoscopically or open. These procedures have an extremely high risk of complications, and most bariatric surgeons have felt that the risks were too high for the potential benefits.

Read the rest in the article, Endoluminal Surgery - Revising Weight Loss Surgery.

8 Comment(s)

Comment by iris71 on Mar 30, 2008 at 06:13am

Well what about insurance will it pay for the Endoluminal Surgery?

Comment by garber on Mar 31, 2008 at 02:29pm

Some insurance companies cover it and some consider it experimental.

Comment by marykhosh on Mar 31, 2008 at 02:45pm

I am looking to find out more about this procedure. I had my Gastric Bypass about 4 years ago and gained about 60lbs back. I would like to get about 100 pounds more off. Does Kaiser do this procedure. If not, is there any doctor that does this type of procedure near Sacramento CA?

Comment by mariantodino1 on Apr 01, 2008 at 04:13am

I was a size 12 in 1981, then went down to size 3 in 1988, during husbands cancer in 1988, I have had numerouse back fusions surgeon thought, seeing that it is too hard to lose because of back, that lipo and tummy tuck would give me more self esteem, support fusions, and help after son's murder to try and start life over,

Comment by jbuller43 on Apr 04, 2008 at 06:25pm

I am in the process of preparing for the gastric hoping to have it in June or before summer is over. Curious to know when this will be available.

Comment by mrdoores on Apr 10, 2008 at 07:48am

I had gastric bypass wls in 2000, lost 137lbs but have regained about 60 lbs. I'm very interested in the revisional surgery. I never got to my goal weight. Looking for information on revisional surgeries.

Comment by amybethlander on Apr 15, 2008 at 09:14am

For the people who have posted about regain, do you exercise regularly and do you still follow the cardinal rules?

Comment by ReddCurrlz on Apr 15, 2008 at 07:09pm

i hear about people gaining alot of their weight back. Even my bff has gone back to 200 after 2 years out and a tummy tuck. I see her bad habits, mcd's, bk, fast food, she even has bad dumping syndrome and gets real sick, she's on lots of medicine, phenergan for tummy problems, b12, and on and on, but why do they gain it back? Is it carelessness? going back to the old habits?