5 Facts About Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG)

Weight loss surgery is an effective treatment for obesity. It helps people lose unhealthy weight quickly and improves their quality of life. Like many other areas of medicine, bariatric surgery has made major advancements in recent years, and procedures are safer, less invasive, and reversible. 

At Transform Bariatrics in Greenbelt and Rockville, Maryland, our highly skilled bariatric surgeon, Dr. Hitesh Amin, performs many surgeries, including one of the newest procedures: endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG). 

Because it’s one of the newer weight loss surgeries, many people aren’t familiar with endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG). In this month’s blog, we want to share five facts about ESG to familiarize you with this groundbreaking surgery.

1. No cutting with ESG

Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is a minimally invasive procedure our doctor performs using an endoscope. This thin tube with light and a camera goes in the mouth and advances to the stomach, meaning there are no incisions through the abdomen.

Once in the stomach, the surgeon inserts a special stitching tool through the endoscope and double-stitches the outer portion of the stomach, creating a sleeve-like pouch that runs from the esophagus to the small intestine. Again, no cutting or incisions are made.

The pouch our surgeon makes performing ESG is similar to the gastric sleeve but uses stitches instead of surgically removing the outer portion of the stomach. 

2. General anesthesia is required

ESG is an outpatient procedure that takes about two hours. However, it’s major surgery, so you’re given general anesthesia so you stay asleep for the procedure. 

After surgery, we send you to the recovery area for observation and then discharge you home. You must have someone drive you home afterward and rest for the day. 

Like other weight loss surgeries, you must follow a special diet as your body recovers. Our team, including our registered dietitian, discusses the details of the diet before the procedure so you can prepare. 

3. Qualifying criteria makes it available to more people

ESG is less invasive than other weight loss surgeries, and the qualifying criteria are less stringent, so it’s open to more people. To qualify for an ESG, you must:

• Have obesity (a body mass index of 30 or higher)
• Be unable to lose weight with diet and exercise
• Have a stable weight for at least three months before the procedure

By comparison, most weight loss procedures are only open to people with class II obesity (BMI 40 or higher).

4. Safer than surgery

ESG is a surgical procedure that comes with risks like any other procedure. However, it's safer than weight loss surgery because we don’t cut or remove any parts of the body. 

With ESG, you can expect a faster recovery and fewer complications. You’re also less likely to experience nutritional deficiencies and dumping syndrome — when food moves too fast through the stomach, dumping into the small intestine causing abdominal pain and diarrhea.   

Results following ESG vary, but you may lose 12 to 20% of your body weight annually. 

5. ESG is reversible

One of the most significant differences between ESG and other weight loss surgeries is that it's reversible. If you don't get the results you expect or have side effects such as severe heartburn, then you should consider reversing the procedure. 

We use the endoscope to remove the sutures for a reversal, and the stomach naturally distends. 

Weight loss is difficult, but there are many options that can help you lose weight and keep it off. If you're having trouble reaching your goal weight and affecting your health, let us help.

Call our office today or request an appointment online. We offer medical weight loss and weight loss surgery.