Bariatric surgery has grown into an increasingly
popular procedure in the treatment of weight gain and obesity. More than a
handful of new procedures are on the horizon for individuals seeking such
surgery in the coming year. Bariatric surgery has been increasingly used to
help treat diabetes epidemics as well as help prevent increasingly common
issues such as bone and joint damage and high blood pressure.
What's New on the Horizon for Bariatric Surgery?
Some of the most common reasons consumers have and
will continue to seek bariatric surgery facilities in recent years are the
result of less invasive surgical techniques, and the development of
incision-free bariatric surgery and single-incision procedures on the horizon.
Incision-free bariatric surgery involves a technique
called Transoral Gastroplasty (TOGA). Phase III studies are currently in
progress and enable surgeons to change the anatomy of the stomach in order to
create a feeling of fullness after small portions of food are ingested, without
making any actual incisions in the stomach itself.
Single-incision weight loss surgery is also growing
in popularity, enabling bariatric surgeons to perform a gastric banding
procedure through a single 8-centimeter incision rather than the current
technique which utilizes 4 to 5 small incisions, resulting in even faster
healing times.
Bariatric surgical procedures are also seeing an
increase in the non-obese, specifically for the treatment of individuals with
lower body mass indexes (standards for bariatric surgeries has specifically
catered to those with a BMI of 35 plus) in individuals who have also been
diagnosed with diabetes.
The number of individuals undergoing bariatric
surgical procedures is expected to grow in 2010, especially due to the fact
that Americans diagnosed with diabetes has doubled in recent years. According
to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, nearly 23 million
Americans today have been diagnosed with diabetes, a number expected to double
by 2034 if current trends continue. The success of bariatric surgical
procedures reducing and sometimes eliminating a person's need for insulin has
increased the number of bariatric surgeries for the treatment of diabetes in
recent years.
Bariatric Surgery: Not Just for the Obese
Unfortunately, more children and teens in any other
generation have been diagnosed as being overweight or obese in the past decade.
According to the American Heart Association, teens who are overweight or obese
stand an increased risk of developing some form of heart disease if steps are
not taken to reduce their weight. Weight loss programs for teens are on the
rise in hospitals across the country, as are bariatric surgeries. Combined with
education regarding proper diet and exercise, such surgeries may potentially
save thousands of lives in coming decades.
A new procedure called "corset
trunkplasty" has been created to help patients who have undergone
bariatric surgical procedures and lost massive amounts of weight, only to be
left with large amounts of excess skin, especially around the torso. The new
procedure helps reduce the presence of excess skin and according to the
literature, targets f lab above the belly button, reducing the amount of excess
skin left around the middle as well as 'love handles'.
Of course, popular gastric band procedures will
continue, including the two most popular; the lap band and the Realize band, as
well as new techniques that promote surgery-free weight loss. One such device
currently in late stage clinical trials is called the endoluminal sleeve, also
known as an EndoBarrier Gastrointestinal Liner. The liner, placed in the upper
portion of the small intestine, focuses on treating uncontrolled diabetes in
the obese without surgery.
The future for bariatric surgery and development of
new techniques will continue, ever striving to achieve less invasive surgical
procedures that promote long-term weight loss and maintenance, reducing the
risk of devastating disease processes and encouraging individuals to lead
healthier and happier lifestyles.
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