Maintaining a healthy weight is a key part of living a healthy lifestyle. It reduces your risk for chronic conditions like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, is easier on your joints, regulates your energy levels and has many other benefits.
These days, there are many weight loss options advertised to those looking to shed extra pounds when diet and exercise don’t work. However, it can be hard to know what options really work, what you can afford and what is best for you. “One weight loss option that many are unaware of is endobariatrics, or endoscopic bariatric therapy,” said Dr. Pavlos "Paul" Kaimakliotis, an advanced therapeutic endoscopist with University Health.
What Is Endoscopic Bariatric Therapy?
Dr. Kaimakliotis performs endoscopic bariatric therapies on patients with University Health and says it is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure. “It doesn’t take as long as bariatric surgery and the recovery time is quicker,” Dr. Kaimakliotis said.
An endoscope, which is a thin, flexible tube with a camera attached at the end, is inserted through your esophagus and down into your stomach. Using the endoscope, your doctor can suture your stomach (endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty) or revise prior bariatric surgery (revisional endoscopy).
Compared to endoscopic bariatric surgery, traditional bariatric surgery, such as gastric bypass surgery, reduces the size of your stomach and small intestine so you feel fuller eating less food. Bariatric surgery requires significant prep time before and lifestyle changes after to ensure its success. When lifestyle changes are not maintained after surgery, weight regain can occur.
According to one study, endoscopic bariatric therapy is more cost effective and has fewer complications than bariatric surgery.
Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty
Before an endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, your provider will administer a general anesthetic, so you will be asleep for the entire procedure.
Your doctor inserts the endoscope down your throat and into your stomach. The endoscope has a light, a camera and a suturing device attached. Once it is inside the stomach, the doctor can use the camera to suture the stomach together and make it smaller. This procedure takes one hour, and most people go home that same day.
Who Qualifies for Endoscopic Bariatric Therapy?
Not everyone qualifies for endoscopic bariatric therapy. EBT treatments are generally intended for those with a body mass index (BMI) of 28 or greater. Patients who had bariatric surgery over two years ago and have re-gained excessive weight may also qualify.
Your medical team will review your weight loss options and health history with you before recommending a treatment plan.
Calculate your BMI with our online tool.
Benefits of Endoscopic Bariatric Therapy
“Endoscopic bariatric therapy is less invasive than traditional bariatric surgery,” says Dr. Kaimakliotis. It takes less time to perform, is generally outpatient (meaning you don’t have to stay in the hospital overnight) and lets you get back to normal activities sooner.
In addition to helping you lose weight, endoscopic bariatric therapy often improves or resolves many weight-related health conditions, including:
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Joint pain
- Sleep apnea
- Heart disease
- High cholesterol
Endoscopic Bariatric Therapy at University Health
At University Health, we are here to help you achieve your weight loss goals. To see if you may qualify for EBT, please call the University Health gastroenterology team at 210-450-9914 to learn more, or visit our website.
