Is this new surgery an exciting option for severely overweight patients who do not respond to diet, exercise and drug therapy? Will the TOGA procedure help patients to lose weight and improve their health? Is it relatively painless and can patients get up off the surgery table and take a Tylenol?
IIP > read on here > http://www.startribune.com…
…It’s called natural orifice surgery. And yes, it means using the body’s natural openings — wherever they may be — as a way to reach internal organs that need a doctor’s care.
Early next year, Gostout, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic, plans to begin removing gallbladders with a specially designed device that goes in — and comes out — through the mouth or the vagina.
At the University of Minnesota, surgeons are getting ready to perform weight-loss surgery with another experimental device that slides down the mouth to the stomach.
Only a few medical centers in the country have performed this type of surgery. But in theory, supporters say, it could lead to new ways to remove tumors, biopsy cancers and repair internal injuries. All the while leaving patients with less pain, shorter recovery times and no visible scars…
At the same time, even supporters worry that doctors may be too eager to rush in with a lot of pricey new technology before they know whether it’s really much better than what they use now.
To be sure, the whole idea of removing body parts through other body parts is a bit unsettling.