Beat Obesity With Safe, Without Surgery Weight Loss Treatment

Obese people struggling with weight loss can now opt l for safe, minimally invasive non-surgical weight-loss treatments,

This treatment appears to be effective in helping patients lose a significant amount of weight in the short and medium term.

NEW YORK: Obese people struggling with weight loss can now opt l for safe, minimally invasive non-surgical weight-loss treatments, a new study finds.

Radiologists have developed a new image guidance called bariatric arterial embolization (BAE), which blocks blood flow to a part of the stomach that could help obese patients lose weight treatment.

"Currently, interventions for the treatment of obesity include behavioral changes, diet and exercise, medication and surgery. We are delighted with the promise of BAE as another tool for providers of health care to provide patients the effort to stop this epidemic, "said Clifford Weiss, a professor at Johns Hopkins University in the United States.

The results showed that compared to a surgical procedure gastric bypass, BAE is significantly less invasive and has a much shorter time recovery.

Although results are still preliminary, BAE appears to be effective in helping patients lose a significant amount of weight in the short and medium term.

All patients showed weight loss and dramatic levels of hunger reduction after undergoing the treatment.

Participants showed a loss of excess weight average 5.9 percent after one month.

After six months, the loss of excess weight increased to an average of 13.3 percent.

Treatment begins by feeding a small catheter through the arteries of a patient through an incision in the groin or wrist, to an area in the upper part of the stomach called the fundus, where it occurs stimulating hormone ghrelin the hunger. Small droplets are injected through the catheter to reduce blood flow to the fundus.

For the pilot study, the team enrolled seven adults with severe obesity, but otherwise healthy, with body mass index (BMI) of 40 to 60, well above the threshold level of obesity BMI of 30.

After treatment, the researchers followed the subjects of weight loss, ghrelin levels, evaluations of hunger and satisfaction (through surveys) quality of life, blood pressure and adverse to one reactions, marks three six months.

In these first seven patients, bariatric embolisation was safe, without significant adverse effects. There were no dramatic weight loss and reduction in hunger levels. In addition, ghrelin levels and lowered her scores improved quality of life.

The study was presented at the ongoing 2016 Society Annual Scientific Meeting of interventional radiology in Vancouver, Canada.