Scientists are manipulating hormones and enzymes with the help of drugs to aid weight-loss, in Australia. Meanwhile a pioneering surgery sans incisions and scars to the body has been performed in San Francisco. The one of its kind surgery is meant for people who have already gone under the knife for weight loss and yet regained weight.
Dr. Paul Cirangle, a bariatric surgeon is the first and only one to perform this incisionless weight loss procedure which is also called as StomaphyX. StomaphyX is a device which can be fastened around the esophagus which reduces the size of the stomach pouch. The procedure is carried out by inserting this device down the esophagus with the help of endoscope after administering general anesthesia to the patient. This device has been approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2007.
The procedure is carried out on patients who have already undergone a gastric bypass, vertical sleeve gastrectomy or the duodenal switch but still haven’t achieved the weight they desired after surgery or have regained weight due to complications post-op or due to the large size of the stomach pouch.
Dr. Cirangle explains, “Not only can patients go home the same day, the procedure is approximately 30 minutes and much safer than traditional surgery. There are no incisions inside the organs or outside the skin. Patients don’t have to worry about the complications of the more invasive revisional surgery, such as incisional herniation, infection, adhesions and scarring.†Post surgery, most of the patients can return to their regular daily activities from the next day.
Often patients under go weight loss surgeries to find a remedy for hypertension, sleep apnea and diabetes which are associated with obesity. Stomaphyx has shown positive results like 77% of patients post-operatively retained the normal body-weight curing all the disorders, 86% are resolved or improved, 62% were cured of hypertension while it improved in 78.5%, and more than 70% of patients experienced improved hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol and high triglycerides) while 86% were completely recovered from obstructive sleep apnea.
Laprarosocpic Associates of San Francisco (LapSF) and The Surgical Weight Loss Center of Hawaii surgeon Dr. Cirangle also added that the early results of this method are promising, showing 15-20% estimated weight loss. There are several other procedures to weight loss, but the Stomaphyx is superior to them all claims board certified Cirangle. The risk of death is reduced to 89% in this kind of surgery.