Minimally invasive approach offers a new option for patients in need of revisional bariatric surgery
Eric DeMaria, MD, FACS, FASMBS, board-certified general and bariatric surgeon with Bon Secours Surgical Weight Loss Center has successfully performed Hampton Roads’ first endoscopic revision obesity surgery. The incisionless weight loss surgery restores the size of the stomach in former surgical weight loss patients and assists them with achieving weight loss goals once again.
“Most patients who undergo bariatric surgery achieve significant and long- lasting weight loss,” said DeMaria. “In some cases, the pouch or the opening that connects the pouch to the intestine, the stoma, can become stretched out. This reduces the feeling of fullness and can lead to weight gain. The new procedure allows me to offer patients a very minimally invasive option to help them get back on track with their weight loss goals and work toward living a healthier life.”
During the procedure, the surgeon accesses the patient’s stomach by inserting an endoscopic tube down their throat, makes surgical folds and sutures them in place. By doing so, the surgeon reduces the size of the pouch and stoma close to the original post-surgery proportions. Former bariatric patients who were originally successful in losing weight following gastric bypass and find themselves regaining weight are considered the best candidates for this procedure.
By eliminating skin incision, this new form of bariatric revisional surgery offers several additional advantages including: reduced risk of infection and complications, less post-operative pain, faster recovery time and no abdominal scars. Patients can be discharged from the hospital later the day of surgery or after an overnight stay.
