Weight loss is a common struggle many of us face. Often, dieting leads to a cycle of loss and gain, and many diets and weight-loss programs are difficult to sustain long term. Physicians at WVU Medicine are offering new, non-surgical bariatric treatments for patients who struggle with obesity and are ready to sustainably lose the weight.
Obesity affects nearly 40 percent of West Virginians and can lead to diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, and other potentially life-threatening conditions. Losing as little as 10 percent of your body weight can greatly reduce the risk of developing these diseases and, in some cases, even reverse existing disease.
The WVU Medicine Medical and Surgical Weight-Loss Center offers minimally invasive, non-surgical endoscopic procedures for weight loss, including endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty and gastric balloon. For patients who had previous bariatric surgeries and have regained weight, endoscopic revision procedures, like transoral gastric outlet reduction and endoscopic revision of sleeve gastrectomy, are also offered. The WVU Medicine Bariatric Endoscopy Program is nationally recognized and one of the leading centers in the country offering these procedures.
“When people think of bariatric weight loss, they tend to immediately think of gastric bypass surgery, but new procedures have become available recently that are just as effective without requiring surgery and a long recovery,” Shailendra Singh, MD, WVU Medicine bariatric endoscopy director, said. “The new endoscopic procedures we are able to do also eliminate the need for surgical incisions, scarring, and overnight stays in the hospital. Patients are able to go home that day.”