Endoscopic Weight Loss Program
at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Obesity is a complex metabolic disease of excessive fat accumulation associated with an increased risk to health. It contributes to a host of maladies including heart disease, hypertension, dyslipidemia, type II diabetes, osteoarthritis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and sleep apnea.
Adults
- 38% of adults aged 20 and over have obesity (2013-2014)
- 71% of adults aged 20 and over are overweight or obese (2013-2014)
Adolescents
- 21% of adolescents aged 12-19 years have obesity
Bariatric surgery is a very effective tool for sustainable and significant weight loss. Unfortunately, many overweight and obese patients do not meet criteria for surgery. Of those that are eligible, only 1 to 2% actually undergo surgery. This may be due to patients desire to avoid surgical procedures due to risk of complications and the belief that gym memberships and trendy diets may lead to long-term weight loss. While diet and exercise can help maintain a healthy weight, some people find it hard to achieve sustained weight loss with these methods alone. Endoscopic weight loss therapies provide some of the benefits of weight loss surgery while being reversible, offering a lower risk profile, and being available to patients who do not qualify for surgery or are poor candidates for surgery.
The Endoscopic Weight Loss Program specializes in treating overweight and obese adults and adolescents who do not qualify for weight loss surgery or do not want surgery. We offer non-surgical evidence-based weight loss options.
Who should be considered for bariatric endoscopic procedures?
- This can be used as a primary therapy for weight loss in severe obese patients with superior safety profiles to bariatric surgery.
- This can be used as an early intervention in mildly obese patients to prevent progression of obesity-related medical problems or prevent those medical problems all together.
- This can be used as a “bridge” therapy to promote weight loss before a planned subsequent intervention to reduce surgical risk. Procedures that could benefit from preprocedural weight loss include orthopedic, cardiac, organ transplant and bariatric operations.
- This can be considered in less severe obesity to improve a metabolic illness, such as type II diabetes, hyperlipidemia, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and hypertension, that may improve with modest weight loss.
What is the benefit of bariatric endoscopic procedures compared to bariatric surgery?
- Better safety profile.
- Durable and repeatable. Patients’ anatomy must have minimal permanent alteration and be amenable to future intervention.
- Does not permanently alter the anatomy.
- Does not prevent future surgery if patient wishes to pursue that course of treatment.
Endoscopic Weight Loss Therapies
Endoscopic weight loss therapies provide some of the benefits of weight loss surgery while being reversible, offering a lower risk profile. The Endoscopic Weight Loss Program at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital specializes in treating patients who do not qualify for or simply do not want weight loss surgery. We offer non-surgical, evidence-based weight loss options including:
