U.S. doctors are experimenting with a new type of surgery for obese that does not require cuts in the abdomen, which involves threading a tube the size of a garden hose through the throat to remove material in the stomach.
The operation, in the experimental stage, creates a narrow channel that slows the movement of food to move from the top to the bottom of the stomach. That, according to doctors, helping patients feel full more quickly and allows them to eat less.
Doctors say preliminary results of 200 patients in the U.S. and another 100 in Europe look promising.
After about 18 months, obese Europeans had lost about 45% of their body weight on average, said Dr. Gregg Nishi, a surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Nishi American and European studies discussed during a conference in Chicago this week for specialists in digestive diseases.
The procedure is performed only on studies for now. Manufacturers of the device used in the operation intends to request federal approval if the investigation is continuing according to plan.
Nishi said the two studies continue. And so far the results are slightly better than typical results with conventional operations to reduce obesity.
Risks include the perforation of the esophagus, which can cause death. Nishi said that this occurred with a patient in another center. Besides, he said, there have been no serious complications.
Liliana Gomez, administrative coordinator at Cedars-Sinai, was among the first Americans to be subjected to surgery for obese like that.
She proposed conventional surgery, which included cuts on her stomach, until he learned that doctors at the hospital studied the new technique.
Since its operation in August, Gomez has lost about 18 kilos (40 pounds).