endoscopy gastroenterology obesity

Obesity and its associated comorbid conditions have been increasing globally. Endoscopic bariatric and metabolic therapies (EBMTs) were initially designed to replicate bariatric surgery physiology for those who are not or choose not to be surgical candidates. Now, newer procedures target the complicated pathophysiology underlying obesity and its comorbidities. EBMT has been categorized based on its therapeutic target (stomach or small intestine), but innovations have expanded to include extraintestinal organs including the pancreas...

INTRODUCTION: Endoscopic bariatric therapies are an alternative treatment method for patients who do not respond to diet, exercise and drug therapy or who are not yet candidates for surgery or who are suitable and hesitant to undergo surgery. In this study, we aimed to evaluate our intragastric balloon (IGB) treatment results and the satisfaction of the patients in the light of the literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted by retrospectively evaluating the patients who underwent IGB application in the gastroenterology and general surgery endoscopy units of our hospital...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Bariatric and metabolic endoscopic therapies provide an option for patients seeking clinically significant weight loss with fewer adverse events than conventional bariatric surgery. Our aims are to provide an overview of the current state of primary endoscopic treatment options for weight loss and to emphasize the importance of including these therapies when presenting weight loss options to qualified patients. RECENT FINDINGS: Bariatric endoscopy procedures are associated with a lower adverse event rate when compared to bariatric surgery and result in more weight loss than most existing pharmacotherapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration...

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presented unique challenges to patients with decompensated cirrhosis awaiting transplant, with respect to accessing medical facilities for routine clinic visits, imaging, laboratory workup, or endoscopies. There was a delay in organ procurement that led to a decrease in the number of liver transplants (LTs) and an increase in the morality of waitlisted patients at the beginning of the pandemic. LT numbers later equalized to pre-pandemic numbers due to combined efforts and adaptability of transplant centers as well as dynamic guidelines...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Transoral outlet reduction (TORe) and anti-obesity medication (AOM) are effective treatments for weight regain following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). This study aims to 1) assess the efficacy of combination therapy (TORe + AOM) for treating weight regain and 2) compare the safety and efficacy of combination therapy to AOM alone, TORe alone and surgical revision of RYGB. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of RYGB patients with weight regain who underwent combination therapy, defined as initiation of at least one AOM within 6 months prior to or after TORe...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for obesity but is invasive and associated with serious complications. Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) is a less invasive weight loss procedure to reduce the stomach volume by full-thickness sutures. ESG has been adopted in many countries, but implementation at Scandinavian centres has not yet been documented. We performed a clinical pilot trial at a Norwegian centre with the primary objective to assess the feasibility of the ESG procedure...

The global obesity epidemic shows no signs of slowing down. Endoscopic bariatric and metabolic therapies (EBMTs) are being increasingly adopted as treatment options for obesity and obesity-related comorbidities, due to their minimally invasive nature and ease of delivery. According to the site of action along the gastrointestinal tract, EBMTs can be divided into two categories: gastric EBMTs, and small intestine-targeted EBMTs. Unlike gastric EBMTs, which work through a volume-restricting mechanism leading to early satiety and reduced caloric intake, small intestine-targeted EBMTs can be metabolically beneficial through foregut and/or hindgut pathways independent of weight loss, and therefore have great potential for the treatment of obesity-related metabolic comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes...

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) is an emerging bariatric intervention with comparable safety and efficacy to surgical sleeve gastrectomy (SG). As ESG is utilized more commonly, postgraduate medical training in bariatric endoscopy has expanded to train physicians in this technically complex procedure. Prior studies have analyzed procedural outcomes of bariatric surgery assisted by medical trainees, but no such analysis has been performed with ESG. AIMS: This study aims to evaluate the short-term safety of ESG in cases assisted by postgraduate medical trainees...

INTRODUCTION: Erosive esophagitis (EE) occurs when refluxate from the stomach causes T-lymphocyte infiltration of the esophageal mucosa, resulting in mucosal breaks. Currently, therapy with proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) is the standard treatment for EE in the United States, but few comprehensive reviews exist on the efficacy of PPIs in US populations. Here, we present the most contemporary, thorough analysis of PPI efficacy rates, and identify and characterize patient subgroups at risk for poor healing outcomes...

BACKGROUND: Barrett's esophagus (BE) is an entity with a known histological progression to malignancy. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system is involved in the carcinogenesis through obesity-related mechanisms that include IGF and it has been associated with several types of cancer. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the serological levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in patients with BE and esophageal adenocarcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospective study of patients with BE and esophageal adenocarcinoma who underwent upper endoscopy between September 2012 and December 2015...

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract, particularly the colon region, holds a highly diverse microbial community that plays an important role in the metabolism, physiology, nutrition, and immune function of the host body. Accumulating evidence has revealed that alteration in these microbial communities is the pivotal step in developing various metabolic diseases, including obesity, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and colorectal cancer. However, there is still a lack of clear understanding of the interrelationship between microbiota and diet as well as the effectiveness of chemoprevention strategies, including pre and probiotic agents in modifying the colonic microbiota and preventing digestive diseases...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) is a validated test for assessing liver fibrosis but may be unreliable in select patients, including those with morbid obesity. The limitations of VCTE may be overcome by Endoscopic ultrasound-guided shear wave elastography (EUS-SWE). METHODS: This single-center, prospective, non-randomized tandem study compared the diagnostic accuracy of EUS-SWE and VCTE in consecutive patients undergoing liver biopsy due to unreliable noninvasive testing...

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We have recently read with interest the mini-review article "Therapeutic endoscopy for the treatment of post-bariatric surgery complications". The abovementioned article is a brief overview of the different endoscopic modalities employed in the management of bariatric surgery complications and represents an important decision support tool for clinicians to improve their current practice. Although we appreciate the endeavor of Larsen and Kozarek, based on our in-depth analysis, we came across several minor issues in this article; thus, we present our comments in this letter...

BACKGROUND: The introduction of new technologies in endoscopy has been met with uncertainty, skepticism, and lack of standardization or training parameters, particularly when disruptive devices or techniques are involved. The widespread availability of a novel endoscopic suturing device (OverStitch™) for tissue apposition has enabled the development of applications of endoscopic suturing. METHODS: The American Gastroenterological Association partnered with Apollo Endosurgery to develop a registry to capture in a pragmatic non-randomized study the safety, effectiveness, and durability of endoscopic suturing in approximating tissue in the setting of bariatric revision and fixation of endoprosthetic devices...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Bulking agents are inert materials injected into an organ to affect the physical properties of the organ for a therapeutic purpose. Various agents have been developed to aid in the treatment of diseases like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), fecal incontinence, obesity, malignancy, hemostasis, and tissue dissection. Here, we review the state of the art in bulking agents in gastrointestinal endoscopy, past failures, current limitations, and where we see the field heading in the future...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) is an incisionless, transoral, restrictive bariatric procedure designed to imitate sleeve gastrectomy (SG). Comparative studies and large-scale population-based data are limited. Additionally, no studies have examined the impact of race on outcomes after ESG. This study aims to compare short-term outcomes of ESG with SG and evaluate racial effects on short-term outcomes after ESG. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed over 600,000 patients in the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program database from 2016 to 2020...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new endoscopic duodenal-jejunal bypass sleeve (DJBS) in obese patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), while in situ for 3 months, and at 6 months postexplantation. METHODS: Patients with obesity and NAFLD were enrolled in this single-center, prospective study, wherein the TONGEE DJBS (Tangji Medical, Hangzhou, China) was implanted for 3 months. Primary outcomes were weight loss and changes in hepatic steatosis...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We sought to derive a risk score, DORM65, of known variables to predict the likelihood of a positive EUS in patients with idiopathic acute pancreatitis (IAP). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 180 patients with IAP was performed across three tertiary care centers between January 2018 and December 2021. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was performed to predict a positive EUS. Accuracy of the models were assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCC)...

Nodular lymphoid hyperplasia (NLH) is characterized by the growth of multiple discrete small submucosal nodules specifically confined to the lamina propria and superficial submucosa layers of the intestinal wall. Gastric and rectal involvement of NLH is exceedingly rare. To date, few case reports have described diffuse NLH presenting with multiple submucosal lymphomatous polyposis occurring in the rectum.  Our patient is a 39-year-old morbidly obese Hispanic female who presented to the gastroenterology clinic complaining of intermittent hematochezia for the past six months...