BARIATRIC ENDOSCOPY AT MAYO CLINIC
Surgery is a successful treatment option for weight loss. But it’s not the best solution for everyone.
People with less weight to lose or higher surgical risk factors can achieve similar weight-loss success with bariatric endoscopy. Our advanced endoscopy team performs these nonsurgical treatments through the mouth using a long, thin tube (endoscope) fitted with a camera.
Endoscopic treatments provide the weight loss you need without the pain and recovery associated with surgery.
Bariatric endoscopy: The Mayo Clinic difference
The bariatric team at Mayo Clinic creates a personalized weight-loss plan for each patient. Our experts may recommend bariatric endoscopy as a standalone treatment option or in combination with other treatments.
Treatment with bariatric endoscopy at Mayo Clinic includes:
- Specialized expertise. Our advanced endoscopy team subspecializes in disorders involving the digestive system (gastroenterology). They perform endoscopic procedures you won’t find elsewhere.
- Access to innovative endoscopic procedures. Our clinical trial program gives you access to new and evolving endoscopic procedures and techniques.
- Advanced bariatric revision. We use the transoral outlet reduction endoscopy (TORe) procedure to revise a previous bariatric treatment. This advanced procedure helps you manage weight recurrence after gastric bypass surgery, gastric sleeve surgery, or endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty.
What is endoscopy?
Endoscopic treatments use an endoscope fitted with a light and camera to visualize and treat the digestive tract. The endoscope is inserted through your mouth, so the procedures are minimally invasive and do not require an incision.
The benefits of endoscopic treatment include:
• Less pain
• Low rate of complications
• Reduced risk (when compared to surgery) for people with coexisting conditions
• Shorter recovery time
How we treat obesity with endoscopic weight-loss procedures
Bariatric endoscopy can help people achieve their weight-loss goals. It’s an appropriate treatment option for many people with a BMI of 30 to 40. Most people experience a total body weight loss of about 15% after an endoscopic procedure. Even five years later, you can expect to maintain a 10% weight loss or more.
The FDA-approved endoscopic procedures we perform for weight loss include:
Intragastric balloon placement
Our specialized gastroenterologists place a saline-filled balloon in your stomach. The balloon remains in place for up to a year and limits the amount of food you can eat by slowing down how quickly your body can empty the stomach. You’ll feel fuller faster while eating less food.
Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty
Sleeve gastroplasty aims to make your stomach smaller, like gastric sleeve surgery. But endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty doesn’t involve an incision and can be repeated or revised as needed.
A Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist inserts a suturing device through an endoscope and uses it to decrease the size of your stomach. The procedure limits the amount you can eat. While the risks associated with sleeve gastroplasty are low, the treatment isn’t appropriate for people with a bulge in their stomach (hiatal hernia) or gastrointestinal bleeding.
Transoral outlet reduction (TORe)
Bariatric surgery is successful for many people living with obesity. But when weight recurrence happens, there may be endoscopic options to restart weight loss.
Mayo Clinic specialists perform transoral outlet reduction (TORe) procedures to revise previous gastric bypass surgery, sleeve surgery, and endoscopic gastroplasty. They use advanced endoscopy to tighten or adjust your stomach pouch. Restoring the smaller stomach also restores restrictions on the amount of food you can eat. TORe is an outpatient procedure with better outcomes and less risk than surgical revision.
Life after an endoscopic weight-loss procedure
Endoscopy is often just one part of your personalized weight-loss plan. It may also involve lifestyle changes, dietary restrictions, and medication.
The support you receive from Mayo Clinic doesn’t end once your procedure is over. We provide consistent follow-up care, nutritional guidance, and mental health resources to help you transition to a healthier life.
For more information, check out our FAQs about obesity treatment at Mayo Clinic.
Contact our bariatric team.
For more information about weight loss and obesity care at Mayo Clinic, or to schedule an appointment, call 507-284-1600.
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