During this same-day, non-surgical procedure, doctors tighten a stretched stomach sleeve with sutures. It helps patients regain their sense of fullness and satiety, helping them get back on track with their weight loss journey. It is an endoscopic bariatric revision procedure that can help if you experience weight regain after having gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy surgery. Learn more about this safe, effective option.
What Is It?
With the minimally invasive and successful endoscopic revision of sleeve gastrectomy treatment, your stomach can be reduced in size. It consists of stapling and removing the majority of your stomach, leaving you with a banana-shaped, narrow sleeve. Over time, however, this sleeve can stretch and lead to weight gain because it requires more food to feel full. An endoscopic sleeve revision, or ESG, helps tighten your stretched sleeve, allowing you to lose weight and stay on track with your goals. ESG is performed under sedation, allowing your doctor to advance an endoscope through your mouth and into the stomach to view its anatomy. Then, your doctor can place sutures to create plications that decrease the size of your stomach, similar to the way a tailor sews darts into fabric.
In addition to reducing your stomach’s volume, ESG can also correct the gradual widening of the connection between the stomach and small intestine that can occur after gastric bypass surgery. It can also be used to replace lost sleeve gastrectomy staples. The best course of action for patients who underwent a surgical sleeve gastrectomy more than two years ago and gained weight is an endoscopic sleeve revision. This same-day outpatient procedure can restore satiety and help you get your weight loss back on track. Contact True You to learn more about this life-changing procedure.
How Does It Work?
Bariatric procedures alter the anatomy of your stomach to help you lose weight. It also improves underlying medical conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. But the stomach may stretch, causing you to regain some of your lost weight. It can be frustrating, as it will likely take longer to reach your ideal weight and may reduce the health benefits you gained from your bariatric surgery. Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty can help you re-start your path to your optimum weight as an alternative to gastric bypass revision. During this non-surgical, incision-free procedure, your doctor will put an endoscope (a small tube with a camera at the tip) into the stomach to measure the pouch or sleeve size. If the sleeve has stretched, it can be tightened with sutures to limit how much food you can consume. This procedure is especially beneficial for people who had sleeve gastrectomy surgery two years ago and initially saw accelerated weight loss. However, they now find they can easily eat larger food portions and regain their initial weight. It is important to note that ESG can only be performed after other causes for weight regain have been excluded.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) may be an option if you have had gastric sleeve surgery and are gaining weight. This non-surgical, minimally invasive procedure can address changes in the stomach and the connection between the stomach and the small intestine that lead to weight regain after bariatric surgery. ESG is a same-day, outpatient procedure that involves a flexible, lighted instrument (gastroscope) inserted through the mouth into the stomach. A physician uses a suturing system on the end of the gastroscopic tool to tighten the surgically created “pouch” or “sleeve.” ESG restores fullness and satiety so patients can return to consuming smaller portions and losing weight consistently.
It also improves symptoms related to diabetes, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea. Patients with serious heart or lung problems, cirrhosis, or drug and alcohol abuse should not undergo this procedure. Insurance does not cover Bariatric revision procedures, but they can provide a path to continued weight loss and reduced risk of complications from obesity-related health issues.
What Are the Risks?
During traditional gastric bypass surgery, three-quarters of the stomach is removed, leaving you with a smaller “sleeve” that requires less food to feel full. Over time, this sleeve can stretch and allow more food to pass through, leading to weight gain and regain. If you have experienced a weight loss plateau after bariatric surgery, an endoscopic sleeve revision may be necessary to restore restriction. Unlike surgical correction, this non-surgical procedure involves no incisions and is typically performed at an ambulatory surgery center instead of a hospital. Patients may experience fewer difficulties and a speedier recovery as a result. You can finish the treatment in about 15 minutes and go home the same day. A flexible tube called an endoscope placed via the doctor’s mouth is connected to a suturing apparatus. The doctor then uses the device to tighten your sleeve, creating a smaller, shorter pouch. It is a safe and effective way to reclaim your weight loss success after a sleeve gastrectomy relapse.
