StomaphyX is an

endoscopic An endoscopy is a procedure used in medicine to look inside the body. The endoscopy procedure uses an endoscope to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike many other medical imaging techniques, endoscopes are inser ...

suturing A surgical suture, also known as a stitch or stitches, is a medical device used to hold body tissues together and approximate wound edges after an injury or surgery. Application generally involves using a needle with an attached length of thread ...

system designed to treat

patients A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other healt ...

who have had previous

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery Gastric bypass surgery refers to a technique in which the stomach is divided into a small upper pouch and a much larger lower "remnant" pouch and then the small intestine is rearranged to connect to both. Surgeons have developed several diffe ...

. Following this surgery, the stomach pouch and stomach outlet (''stoma'') becomes enlarged in some patients. The StomaphyX device can be used to restrict the size of the stoma without exposing the patient to further surgical risk. Although initial post-procedure weight loss is evident in some trials, there is doubt as to whether such results are sustained over the long term. The StomaphyX device was patented by EndoGastric Solutions.

Medical uses

StomaphyX has been used by bariatric surgeons to further reduce the volume of the small stomach pouch created by gastric bypass procedures. Many patients experience weight regain due to the small stomach pouch stretching over time. The use of an endoscopic procedure to correct this problem is appealing because, if successful, it could reduce risk to the patient that can be associated with more invasive surgical procedures.

Technique

The

esophagus The esophagus (American English) or oesophagus (British English; both ), non-technically known also as the food pipe or gullet, is an organ in vertebrates through which food passes, aided by peristaltic contractions, from the pharynx to the ...

and

stomach The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach i ...

are accessed using a

fiberoptic An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means t ...

gastroscope (similar to a colonscope for the colon). The StomaphyX device is designed to go down into the stomach with the gastroscope. Once inside the stomach pouch, pleats are formed using

polypropylene Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer propylene. Polypropylene belongs to the group of polyolefins an ...

fasteners to make the pouch smaller.

Efficacy

Early investigator-initiated uncontrolled clinical studies with small patient groups have demonstrated short-term weight loss in some patients. For example, a study of 27 patients found most achieved weight loss during the first six months after the procedure. However, a randomized sham-controlled study was terminated in 2011 because the device failed to achieve the study's 15% target reduction in

body mass index Body mass index (BMI) is a value derived from the mass (weight) and height of a person. The BMI is defined as the body mass divided by the square of the body height, and is expressed in units of kg/m2, resulting from mass in kilograms and he ...

(BMI) in 50% of patients treated with it.

References

{{reflist Obesity Bariatrics Surgery