New Weight Loss Surgery Removes Stomach Via Mouth
New weight loss surgery takes most of stomach out through patient's mouth.
Aug. 18, 2010— -- In the early morning of August 3rd, surgeons at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center removed 80 percent of Connie Harris' stomach -- through her mouth.
It may sound like a form of medieval torture, but this method -- Harris is the first person to undergo the procedure -- is a new way to potentially diminish the pain and risk associated with gastric sleeve weight loss surgery.
"The goal was to have a less painful recovery and less trauma to the abdomen," said Dr. Santiago Horgan, chief of minimally invasive surgery at UCSD Medical Center, who performed the surgery on Harris.
Through-the-throat removal of Harris' excess stomach allowed Horgan to avoid cutting through her abdominal muscles, he said, because he did not have to make an incision large enough to accommodate the removal of the stomach.
Harris, 60, of Carlsbad, Cal., was expecting her fourth grandchild just two weeks after her surgery date and opted for this novel approach with hopes of a speedier post-op recovery .
Now two weeks into her recovery, Harris said, "It's been a good recovery so far. I was off pain medication within a couple days of the surgery. I'm going to the park with my grandkids this morning."
Horgan's procedure isn't such a far cry from standard laparoscopic gastric sleeve surgery. It only modifies how the excess stomach is removed from the body. This small change, however, offers an even less invasive approach that doctors say brings bariatric surgery one step closer to an incision-free weight loss surgery.
Towards Incision-Free Weight Loss Surgery
Horgan's procedure combines two well-established technologies -- gastric sleeve surgery and natural orifice surgery -- in a new way.
The vast majority of gastric sleeve surgery today is performed laparoscopically, via a series of small incisions in the abdomen. Tools, including a camera, are inserted through the incisions, and the stomach is stapled shut, reducing it to about one fifth of its original size.
