Can I have really a Gastric Sleeve without scars?

gastric sleeve procedure is today performed with pretty tiny incisions already, and the scars and healing time are minimal compared to the old days of conventional open surgery. The weight loss and the health improvements achieved are astonishing. Nonetheless, nearly all of us would prefer to have no incisions at all if the option were available. Today, the option of no incisions at all, truly scarless sleeve gastrectomy, is a reality, at least for some people and at some centers. The procedure works just like the gastric sleeve procedure; it creates a slender, smaller, sleeve-like stomach and in the process reduces how much we can eat and how hungry we feel. But instead of cutting through the abdominal skin and cutting away part of the stomach, the scarless sleeve involves passing a flexible endoscopy down the mouth and into the stomach’s interior, where the surgeon then tightens together the walls of the stomach with internal stitching. The procedure today is performed by Dr. Sasse and handful of other researchers around the country as part of an Institutional Review Board – approved investigational procedure. The early results are that it is safe, simple, and results in successful weight loss without cutting, without scars, and without staying in the hospital. Many questions remain: will this endoscopic scarless sleeve work as well as the traditional gastric sleeve or be as durable? Will it be done once and work for a lifetime, or will it need revising every five years? These and many other questions are part of the investigations ongoing by Dr. Sasse, Medical Director of Bariatrics at Renown Regional Medical Center, and faculty of the University Of Nevada School Of Medicine.]]>