The number of gastrointestinal surgeries performed annually for severe obesity has increased from about 16,000 in the early 1990s to about 103,000 in 2003. The frequency of these procedures has been fueled by the rise in the number of people who are extremely obese, the failure of diets, exercise and medical therapy; and the advent of laparoscopic procedures. Research presented today at Digestive Disease Week 2005 (DDW) evaluates the effectiveness of new surgical options for this population. DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.
"There has been a great deal of progress made in the development of safer, more effective obesity procedures," said Christopher Gostout, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic. "Obesity patients who opt to have some form of bariatric surgery have a greater chance of long-term survival than those who choose to forgo a procedure."
Endoscopic Vertical Gastroplasty: A Novel Technique for Treatment of Obesity: A Preliminary Report (Abstract Sp743)
Current bariatric surgeries require accessing the internal organs through an incision in the abdomen. While this method has proven successful in the past, the introduction of a new technology currently used in treating gastroesophageal reflux disease is providing patients with an effective, less-invasive alternative to gastric surgery.
In this pilot study, researchers from the Hospital de Clinicas Caracas looked at the feasibility, efficacy and safety of endoluminal gastric suture, as well as its effect on reducing a patient's body mass index (BMI) and co-morbidities.
Ten overweight patients were clinically examined and their baseline BMI and comorbidities were recorded. All 10 patients underwent a vertical gastroplasty (in which an endoscope is inserted through the mouth into the stomach) using the bard endoscopic suturing kit to
'"/>
16-May-2005
Page: 1 2 3 Related medicine news :1.
New oxidation methods streamline synthesis of important compounds2.
New prevention, treatment methods for patients with painful bowel inflammation3.
VA should revise its methods for evaluating and rating PTSD in veterans4.
Developing better methods of blinding doctors and patients in clinical trials5.
Cancer survival compromised by poor staging methods6.
National study compares delivery methods of schizophrenia medicines7.
Rhythm method may kill off more embryos than other methods of contraception8.
Studies report findings on colorectal cancer screening methods and survival rates9.
Cataract surgery rates and costs related to physician reimbursement methods10.
Prisoners should have access to proven HIV prevention methods11.
New screen-and-treat methods for cervical cancer significantly reduce cancer precursor lesions