Technical feasibility of endoscopic gastric reduction: a pilot study in a porcine model.
BACKGROUND
Gastric restrictive procedures are widely used for the surgical treatment of morbid obesity.


OBJECTIVE
Our purpose was to determine the technical feasibility of endoscopic gastric reduction in a live porcine model.


METHODS
Acute experiments on 50-kg pigs under general anesthesia.


METHODS
After per-oral intubation, the endoscope was inserted into the stomach. A fishing line was sutured to the gastric wall along the fundus approximately 5 cm below the gastroesophageal junction with a prototype endoscopic suturing device (Olympus, Eagle Claw). Then the fishing line was tied to create a small proximal pouch. A flexible sheath was placed on one side of fishing line and additional knots were tied, forming a ring at the outlet of the gastric pouch. The ring was anchored to gastric wall with additional stitches, completing the gastric reduction. Then the animals were killed for postmortem examination.


METHODS
The feasibility of endoscopic gastric reduction.


RESULTS
We performed 4 acute experiments. It required 12 to 14 stitches in each animal to create gastric reduction. There were no technical problems during the procedures. Postmortem examination demonstrated an approximately 30-mL gastric pouch separated from the rest of the stomach by the line of stitches. There were no complications during the procedure.


CONCLUSIONS
We have not performed survival experiments to determine how long our gastric reduction will last.


CONCLUSIONS
Endoscopic gastric reduction is technically feasible on a live porcine model.
Kantsevoy
Sergey V
SV
Division of Gastroenterology, Johns Hopkins University, 1830 E. Monument Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Hu
Bing
B
Jagannath
Sanjay B
SB
Isakovich
Nina V
NV
Chung
Sydney S C
SS
Cotton
Peter B
PB
Gostout
Christopher J
CJ
Hawes
Robert H
RH
Pasricha
Pankaj J
PJ
Nakajima
Yukio
Y
Kawashima
Koichi
K
Kalloo
Anthony N
AN
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D015391:Gastroplasty / Q000379:methods*; D020699:Gastroscopes; D005773:Gastroscopy; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000601:surgery*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013536:Suture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation; D016896:Treatment Outcome