Scar-free surgery for obesity

Apr 17 - Taiwan doctors announce a new scar-free surgery for obese patients.

Taiwan's E-Da hospital in Kaohsiung has successfully completed the first scar-free laparoscopic roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery, or SITU.

The gastric bypass surgery creates a small stomach pouch to restrict the amount of food intake and absorption as food bypasses the top part of the intestines.

The surgery was traditionally performed by making five incisions on the abdomen, leaving scars that often require cosmetic surgeries afterwards. Surgeons at E-DA say they've performed 28 cases of the scar-free gastric bypass. The heaviest patient weighed 125 kg (275 lbs.), with a body mass index of 52. Body mass index is a measure of someone's weight in relation to height and is commonly used by physicians studying obesity.

The surgury is not recommended for super obese patients, since the procedure involves using surgical devices within a very limited area, it has a lower success rate when performing on those patients.

Chang-Kung Chin-yu, the first patient to have undergone the surgery, weighed 76 kg (168 lbs) prior to the operation. She also had high blood pressure and fatty liver disease. The surgery reduced her appetite and she's since lost 16 kilograms.

Compared to other weight-loss surgeries, such as the Lap-Band and Sleeve Gastrectomy, the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass is the most effective with a 80 percent weight-loss within 1.5 years. However, patients may suffer from severe vitamin deficiency, which doctors say, needs to be closely monitored.

According to statistics released by Taiwan's Department of Health for adults 45 years or older, approximately 7.4 percent of male and 13.6 percent of females have a body mass index exceeding 28.6. A figure of 25 and over is generally considered to be high for most people.

(SOUNDBITE)(Taiwanese) OBESITY PATIENT CHANG-KUNG CHIN-YU: "The surgery was performed last November. I lost eight kilograms after a month, and lost more than ten kilograms after the second month. Gradually I lost more weight."

(SOUNDBITE)(Mandarin)DIRECTOR OF THE INNTERNATIONAL ENDOSCOPIC OBESITY CENTER AT E-DA HOSPITAL, HUANG CHIH-KUN: "In the previous couple of years, the whole world has been developing methods to pass through the oral cavity, the stomach or the large intestine for a scar-free surgery, or the natural orifice surgery. But most of these attempts have so far stayed at the animal-testing stage. Furthermore, it is not a commonly accepted option to reach an organ by damaging another organ. Incision on the abdominal wall is usually the most acceptable method, and in order to perform a scar-free surgery, we chose to hide the scar at the navel."