New procedure reverses weight gain after gastric bypass

AORN Journal, June, 2008

A new incisionless procedure may offer hope to patients who have experienced weight regain after gastric bypass surgery, according to an April 8, 2008, news release from Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, New Jersey. Restorative Obesity Surgery, Endolumental (ROSE) is an endoscopic procedure that reduces the size of a patient's stomach pouch and stoma (ie, opening to the small intestine) to the original post-gastric bypass proportions.

More than 200,000 US patients underwent bariatric surgery in 2007, and as many as 44% of them will regain weight a few years after the initial procedure. Studies show this weight regain may be caused by the stomach pouch and the stoma slowly stretching out, allowing patients to eat more without feeling full. It is often too dangerous for patients to undergo an invasive procedure to correct the stretched anatomy.

Conversely, ROSE involves the use of a small, flexible endoscope and a special operating system. The endoscope and operating system ate inserted through the patient's mouth and into the stomach pouch. The instruments grasp tissue and place sutures around the stoma to reduce the diameter of the opening. Additional sutures can be placed in the stomach pouch to reduce its volume capacity.

The ROSE procedure may be beneficial for patients who were initially losing weight after gastric bypass surgery but started regaining it. The procedure eliminates the risk of infection and complications associated with more invasive procedures and provides faster recovery time with less postoperative pain.

Monmouth Medical Center performs new incisionless procedure to treat weight regain after gastric bypass [news release]. Long Branch, NJ: Monmouth Medical Center; April 8, 2008.