The Medical News

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Losing weight may not be easy, but there are many options available to help with the journey. People often start the weight loss process by trying a commercial diet, like those you see on TV. But when losing weight on your own doesn't work, weight loss surgery, or now, non-surgical medical procedures, can help. The field of bariatric endoscopy is rapidly evolving and helping to transform how we care for patients. The procedures that we can offer patients, like the intragastric balloon and endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, help patients to lose 15-20% of their body weight." Jonah Cohen, MD, Director of Bariatric Endoscopy at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Additionally, similar to patients who have weight loss surgery, these patients can see an improvement in weight related conditions like sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes. Bariatric endoscopic procedures are done as an outpatient procedure, meaning patients typically do not have to stay overnight in the hospital. Types of weight loss surgery Gastric sleeve Gastric sleeve, or sleeve gastrectomy, has become a popular choice for more and more patients. For this reason, BIDMC performs a high volume of gastric sleeve procedures. Using a laparoscope, the surgeon removes approximately 60% of the stomach, so you feel full after eating a small meal. "You can think of it as your stomach decreasing from the size of a cantaloupe to the size of a banana," said Jones. "This procedure also helps decrease the hunger signals that go the brain." Gastric bypass During gastric bypass, the stomach is essentially divided, creating a small pouch that can hold the equivalent of a small meal. Next, the surgeon attaches a Y-shaped section of the small intestine to the pouch. That creates a bypass for food, as it skips part of your digestive system. "As a result, you can't eat as much as you used to and your body doesn't absorb as many calories," says Jones. Gastric band