Modern medicine has made huge strides with bariatric surgery procedures to assist those who need extra help on their weight loss journey. Notably, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) states bariatric surgery can reduce a patient’s risk of premature death by up to 50%. But not everyone wants to undergo an extensive surgical procedure to lose body weight, and fortunately, not everyone needs to.
While LSG removes 80% of the stomach through a surgical procedure, ESG is far less invasive because there are no incisions. Instead, the surgeon will use an endoscope, a flexible tube with a suturing device, to limit the stomach’s size by about 70-80%.
Although both procedures use general anesthesia, the recovery time is much shorter for ESG than LSG. As a result, those who undergo ESG can return home on the day of the procedure and don’t require a hospital stay.
Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery, or Roux-en-Y, creates a small pouch that acts as your stomach. The pouch is roughly the size of a lemon and connects to your small intestine.
The connection bypasses most of your stomach and a portion of the small intestine that absorbs food. This helps you feel full quickly, and your body absorbs less of what you eat. Studies show that patients can lose up to 80% of excess weight from this bariatric procedure with necessary lifestyle changes.