Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty Could Be the New Way to Lose Weight

Although bariatric surgery is currently the most effective treatment against obesity, only 1-2% of qualified patients are able to undergo this procedure due to limited access, patient choice, associated risks, and expensive costs.

As such, there might be a new obesity treatment available — endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty – a minimally invasive, safe, and cost-effective weight loss intervention.

Barham K. Abu Dayyeh, MD, MPH, department of gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, commented in a news release, “Given the low use of bariatric surgery and limited effectiveness of lifestyle changes and drug treatments, a significant gap exists in our current approach to obesity. Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty offers an effective weight loss intervention at lower cost and higher patient satisfaction, potentially filling this gap in the management of obesity.”

Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is considered a member of the endoscopy family. For this procedure, gastroenterologists use an endoscope affixed with a flexible tube with a light and camera to reduce the size of the stomach by creating a sleeve using a set of sutures.

The recent study, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, involved 25 obese patients who underwent the procedure at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Results yielded a reduction of excess body weight by 54% at one year.

Additionally, the procedure delayed solid food emptying from the stomach and manufactured a feeling of fullness during an earlier meal — thereby resulting in a more long-term weight loss.

Considered an outpatient treatment, endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty requires less than two hours, and allows patients to resume their routine lifestyle within one to three days.

While evidence shows the efficacy of endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, researchers will be conducting further randomized controlled studies with longer follow-up and larger cohorts.