Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty for the treatment of obesity

Background and study aims: Emerging endoscopic techniques are minimally invasive and can mimic the anatomic alterations achieved by surgical sleeve gastrectomy. The objective of this study was to evaluate endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty. Patients and methods: This was a prospective, single-center study of 20 patients who underwent flexible endoscopic suturing for endoluminal gastric volume reduction. A multidisciplinary team provided postprocedure care. Patient status and weight were recorded at baseline, and at 1, 3, and 6 months after the procedure. Results: There were no adverse events and all patients were discharged in less than 24 hours. Baseline mean body mass index was 38.5kg/m(2), and mean age was 45.8 years. Initial body weight (108.5 +/- 14.9kg) was significantly reduced. Following the procedure, the mean body weight reduction was 8.2 +/- 2.5kg at 1 month (% of initial weight loss 7.6 %; P<0.05), 13.6 +/- 4.8kg at 3 months (12.4% weight loss; P<0.05), and 19.3 +/- 8.9kg at 6 months (17.8% weight loss; P<0.05). Conclusion: Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty can be effective for the treatment of patients with obesity.