Incision-Free Obesity Surgery
October 16, 2006
Doctors say "Stomach-stapling surgery to combat obesity
may be done in the future with a tube inserted through
the mouth, making the procedure safer than using an
incision and opening the way for more people to undergo
it,"
Some experts say it's the best method to lose
weight and keep it off. Doctors have performed about
1 million bariatric surgeries worldwide, in which the
stomach is stapled to make it smaller so people eat
less.
Dr. Philip Schauer, head of bariatric surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, which is hosting a three-day meeting on obesity said," Doing the surgery without incision will make it a lower-risk, lower-cost proposition and may be applicable to patients who are less obese than those who are currently considered for surgery, "
In 1990, the advent of laparoscopic surgery, also known as "keyhole" surgery, boosted demand for bariatric surgery because it requires only a few small incisions, improving recovery time revolutionized all surgical procedures.
Schauer Said "I believe we are perhaps on the verge of another revolution," who was recently named president of the American Society of Bariatric Surgery.
Natural orifice transendoscopic surgery, or NOTE, requires no incisions because instruments -- such as long tubes with robotic arms and staple guns -- can be inserted through the mouth and snaked down the esophagus.
Another possibility, he said, is inserting a sleeve, or a tube, into the intestines that would interfere with calorie absorption.
Those are about five to 10 years away, he said.
If the work to be done involves the lower portion of the intestines, instruments can be inserted through the rectum, he added.
Source from: http://edition.cnn.com/ |
