Revision surgery for obesity

Researchers report most patients who have gastric bypass surgery are able to lose 65 to 80 percent of their excess weight within two years. But maintaining the weight loss requires adherence to diet and lifestyle changes. Within two to seven years, up to 40 percent of surgery patients regain weight. In most cases, it’s because the pouch or the connection stretch, allowing the smaller stomach to hold more food and the patient to overeat.

Instead of having to undergo another surgery, some patients may be able to have a procedure called StomaphyX™. With the patient under general anesthesia, a thin, lighted tube is inserted in the mouth and fed down to the stomach pouch. The StomaphyX device is passed through the tube and inside the pouch. Then, a suction device gently pulls up the pouch, making small folds or pleats in the walls. Finally, staples are placed in the pleats to hold them together. With the pleats secured, the size of the pouch is decreased, bringing it back to the size achieved in the original gastric bypass surgery. If the connection between the pouch and small intestine has been stretched, the StomaphyX can be used to tighten it and create a smaller opening.

Erik Wilson, M.D., Bariatric Surgeon with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, says because the StomaphyX doesn’t require open surgery, recovery time is quick. Patients are usually able to go home the same day or a day later. Although the weight loss is slow, most patients eventually lose anywhere from 20 to 50 extra pounds.

StomaphyX was approved by the FDA in 2007. It isn’t intended as an initial weight loss surgery, but only as a follow-up procedure for those who regain weight after gastric bypass surgery.