I just read this in Kaye Bailey's newletter---- just thought I would post

Stomach Origami - New Weight Loss Surgery

14 Mar 2012  

A novel weight loss surgery called gastric plication, that involves the stomach being folded into a smaller, more compact size, is currently a new clinical trial option at UC San Diego Health System for individuals wanting weight-loss surgery that does not permanently alter their anatomy or require an implanted device.

Santiago Horgan, M.D., chief of minimally invasive surgery and director of the UC San Diego Bariatric Metabolic Institute, said:

"This minimally invasive surgery is a new choice for patients who are more than 30 pounds overweight. By folding the stomach, we can reduce the volume by 70 percent. Patients can expect to lose up to 2 pounds per week following the procedure."

According to Horgan, the 1-hour procedure is comparable to the art of origami. Gastric plication is performed laparoscopically and is potentially reversible. In order to reach the stomach to place the folds, 1 to 5 incisions are made in the abdomen. One or two folds (depending on the size of the patient's stomach) are then created with non-absorbable sutures.

Horgan, explained:

"After surgery, with a smaller stomach size, a patient feels fuller faster and is likely to have an actual decrease in appetite. If, for some reason, we need to return the stomach to its original size, we can do so. Also, since the patient's anatomy is not rerouted, the patient does not have severe food restrictions."

Individuals undergoing the procedure are only hospitalized for 1 or 2 days and can return to normal activities in one week. Candidates must have a body mass index of at least 27.

The procedure not only helps with weight loss, but also has associated benefits according to Horgan. Several patients are able to reduce their diabetes, depression and blood pressure medications. These long-term results are the result of a combination of surgery, exercise and healthy eating.

This clinical trial surgery was performed by Horgan as well as Garth Jacobsen, MD, and Nikolai A. Bildzukewicz, MD, o****an Diego Health System.

Written by Grace Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today

We have a woman on this forum that had it done.  She is in Quebec and they are doing it there.  She is the only person that I have seen post about having it.

hi Tracey

Wow, this is the first I have seen anything about it. I found it especially interesting that is says for anyone with a BMI of 27 or higher lol

Her name is IslandQueen38 I believe.  She comes here now and then to post.  She had it done due to her age as she wasn't eligible for the other types if memory serves me correctly.

I read somewhere that it is for lightweights so that makes sense.  It's like the intragastric balloon, meant for people with BMI of under 30 so they can get back to a normal BMI so this one sounds the same.

This surgery sounds like an absolute F'ing nightmare to me.  How can folding and pleating and sewing up someone's stomach be reversible?!    Anyway, I digress.

Tracey is correct - Doris (Islandqueen) did have the procedure and last I heard (she posted on another board) she was doing well.

It says "minimally" invasive, doesn't sound less invasive than any other surgery LOL

No surgery where they play with your guts is "minimally invasive" in my opinion. 

Or "evasive" as so many people on this site say. LOL

"Potentially reversible " was also mentioned in there somewhere.
I sure don't think I'd do this if I only had 30 lbs to lose.

I think she is almost at goal.  I honestly don't blame her for going ahead with this surgery as it was the only one she qualified for due to her age.  Anything is probably better than nothing right?  It's still in the trial stages but who knows it may end up being the surgery of the future if the results from the study are good.

Unless the stomach seals itself then they should just be able to remove the stitches and then poof the pleats come undone. I watched it on Youtube when she first started talking about it and it looks odd but hell if it's working for her who am I to judge.

Quebec seems to do things that are in the trial stages just like they were the first to do the DS and look at it now so they may just know something we don't.  They are usually way more progressive in Quebec than the surgeons in Ontario are.

I don't know anything about his person so I can't comment on her in particular.
I was laughing at the way Karen is so straightforward and honest. I love it.

The surgery itself to me doesn't sound crazy, but to do major surgery to lose 30 pounds does.