ENDOSCOPIC SLEEVE GASTROPLASTY (ESG)
Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is a newer type of weight loss procedure. It reduces the size of your stomach using a specialised endoscopic suturing device without need of
surgery.
A screening process helps doctors see if the procedure might be beneficial for you, although it is generally done for patients who are over weight or with class 1 obesity. And you must be willing to commit to healthy lifestyle changes, regular medical follow-up and participate in behavioural therapy.
Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is done in the endoscopy unit as an outpatient procedure. General anaesthesia is used for the procedure, so you will be unconscious. The procedure is done using an endoscope, a flexible tube with a camera, and an
endoscopic suturing device attached. The endoscope is inserted down your throat into the stomach. The tiny camera allows the doctor operating the endoscope (endoscopist)
to see and operate inside your stomach without making incisions in your abdomen. Using the endoscope, the doctor places approximately 4-6 sutures in the stomach. The sutures change the shape of your stomach, from being a bag leaving it shaped like a tube. This restricts the amount of food you will be able to eat at a time. The procedure takes about 60-90 minutes. The majority of people leave go home the same day after recovering from sedation. Some people might require a short admission to the hospital for one day or less for observation after the procedure.
After endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty you generally won’t be allowed to eat for about eight hours. Then you will be allowed to start a liquid diet, which you need to continue for at least two weeks. Over four weeks, you will move on to semi solid food and then to a regular healthy diet. You will also have medical checkups and meet with a nutritionist and psychologist frequently after your procedure.
Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty can lead to significant weight loss, about 20-30% of excess body weight. The amount of weight you lose also depends on how much you can change your lifestyle habits and regularise eating patterns and commit to healthy
eating. This is s purely restrictive procedure with fairly good weight loss however any underlying metabolic conditions will show betterment as you gradually lose weight.