MONTREAL, June 11, 2024 /CNW/ - A new procedure to combat obesity – the Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty, dubbed the "Endo-Sleeve", or ESG, and the first intervention of its kind – is now being performed in Quebec.

This comes in the wake of a Health Canada approval in February 2024 of the endoscopic device used in the procedure. Medical experts in the field consider the ESG to be a significant advancement in the field of weight-loss surgery, as well as a safe and effective treatment for obesity.

What sets this apart from other bariatric procedures? First, it's minimally invasive. Rather than using scalpels and incisions, surgeons use a long tube known as an endoscope, which is inserted through the mouth to reach the stomach. Sutures are then used to reduce the size of the stomach.

Second, it can be revised to other bariatric procedures if medically necessary. "It's a much safer procedure," says Dr. Michel Gagner, Chief Surgeon at Clinique Michel Gagner in Montreal, where the first ESG in Canada was performed. "Complications are possible, but less frequent and their magnitude is less severe than laparoscopic surgery."

Finally, recovery time after the procedure is shorter compared to other weight-loss interventions, such as a gastric bypass or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.

"The Endo-Sleeve could lead to substantial savings for healthcare systems by reducing obesity-related illnesses," Dr. Gagner says, "benefits include improvement in diabetes and potentially reversing type 2 diabetes."

The company behind creating the cutting-edge device for the ESG, says the procedure is completely incisionless, and that patients can expect not to have any scars. They also say patients can lose up to 15-20% of body weight in 1 year. They believe it will be more effective in treating obesity than weight-loss drugs.

"On the spectrum of weight loss options from one extreme to the other, this is the bridge that we were missing," says Dr. Lamees Almutlaq, the surgeon, who performed the first ESG in Canada in May of this year.

SOURCE Clinique Michel Gagner