Over 200,000 people have weight loss surgery each year. While weight loss surgery is successful for the vast majority of patients, about 20% of patients begin to regain weight after surgery. Usually, this happens because the stomach pouch has stretched. When patients begin gaining weight again, they are once again at risk for weight-related health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.
In 2008, doctors began using a new, incisionless procedure to adjust the size of the stomach pouch and the opening to the small intestine. It is known as the Rose Procedure (Restorative Obesity Surgery, Endolumenal). It is an endoscopic procedure where small specialized instruments are inserted through the mouth and lowered into the stomach. The stomach is folded and stitched to reduce the size of the stomach pouch.
Doing the procedure this way means that you have a shorter recovery time, less pain, no scars, and a lower risk of complications.
This procedure is a boon to the many patients who are considered candidates for revision surgery. People who initially lost weight after bariatric surgery but who have gained the weight back are considered the best candidates for this procedure. There are currently about 125,000 patients nationwide who are considered candidates for a weight loss revision procedure.
If you have had gastric bypass surgery but are regaining the weight that you lost, talk to a Ft. Myers area surgeon about whether the ROSE procedure would be a good choice for you.