Georgia Coast Surgical Group Now Offering StomaphyX Non-invasive Surgical Weight Loss Procedure

New incisionless, endoluminal surgical technique gives failed gastric bypass patients a second chance at success with shorter recovery period.

(PRWEB) April 7, 2008 -- As the number of obese Americans rises, so does the number of individuals seeking safe, successful, minimally-invasive medical weight loss options. The latest in non-invasive surgical weight loss techniques, endoluminal surgery, is now being offered by Dr. Peter Henderson, a surgeon at Georgia Coast Surgical, a practice that specializes in medical weight loss in Georgia. The procedure, which is performed by passing a tube and a new device called StomaphyX through the esophagus and down to the stomach, requires no incisions and, as a result, has a very fast recovery time and a very low risk of complications.

StomaphyX, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the spring 2007, is a device that allows a surgeon to make the stomach pouch smaller in revisional gastric bypass surgery. The StomaphyX device pulls the stomach pouch together by making pleats on the inside of the pouch with special fasteners.

"The endoluminal procedure using StomaphyX is for patients who have had gastric bypass but who have not lost enough weight, those who have gained weight back due to an expanded gastric pouch and those who are experiencing post-operative complications," said Dr. Henderson, who performs the StomaphyX procedure at Georgia Coast Surgical.

It is estimated that about 10-15 percent of individuals who have undergone gastric bypass may need a revisional procedure for one reason or another. The incidence of major postoperative complications following open or laparoscopic revisional bariatric procedures is substantially higher than the incidence of complications following primary operations. The innovative StomaphyX procedure gives those qualified candidates who need revisional surgery a safer alternative if revisional surgery becomes necessary.

"The procedure only takes about an hour and doesn't involve any cutting, stapling or suturing, therefore the risk of serious complication is very low compared to traditional revisional surgery and it is done as an outpatient procedure," Dr. Harold Kent, also a surgeon at Georgia Coast Surgical, said. Patients have a much shorter recovery time with endoluminal surgery and can return to their normal activities a lot sooner, he added.

Dr. Henderson has been performing the StomaphyX endoluminal procedure at Georgia Coast Surgical since December 2007. He received his training at the Ohio State Medical Center from Dr. Dean Mikami--a surgeon who helped develop the device and perform the first surgeries using it. Dr. Henderson is one of only about 50 surgeons in the United States who are trained to perform the StomaphyX procedure.

Drs. Henderson and Kent also perform other types of surgery at Georgia Coast Surgical. They are experts in surgical weight loss procedures, including laparoscopic gastric bypass and the LAP-BAND® adjustable gastric band, having performed nearly 1,000 such procedures.

Georgia Coast Surgical is a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence that specializes in medical weight loss in Georgia and Northeast Florida.

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