Terminology note: TOGA(r) is a registered trademark of Satiety, Inc., the company that manufacturers the device. I am in no way associated with that company. This is merely an informational article on a new medical technique and is not meant to be an endorsement.

Right now, about a dozen obesity centers across the United States are recruiting patients for clinical trials of a procedure known as the transoral gastroplasty, or TOGA for short. This new approach to weight loss surgery eliminates the need for surgical incisions. Instead of entering through the stomach, as with the traditional gastric bypass, a flexible device is inserted through the mouth. With the aid of a skilled surgeon, the device is guided into the stomach area where the next step is performed -- stapling.

According to the summary posted at the clinical trials website of the National Institutes of Health: "The TOGA procedure is an incision-free treatment using a set of flexible staplers introduced into the mouth and esophagus to create a sleeve in the stomach ... The TOGA sleeve limits the amount of food that can be eaten and gives the patient a feeling of fullness after a small meal."

If you are familiar with bariatric procedures in general, that last part will sound familiar. While this new technique uses a different entry point (the mouth) it achieves the same end-result as the gastric bypass -- it segments the stomach to reduce the patient's gastronomic capacity. If the patient feels full with less food, weight loss will soon follow.

As of this writing (October 2008), the new procedure is not yet available across the country. The Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved the new device and technique. Pending the results of the clinical trials, which are scheduled to conclude in 2010, the FDA's approval could very well follow suit.

The Rise of Less-Invasive Techniques

This technique is an example of the rising popularity of less invasive surgeries. As medical technology advances, new paths are being utilized to perform the same function. The distinction of "open" versus "laparoscopic" surgery is often used to describe these differences. On the one hand, you have a procedure that makes larger incisions to "open" the patient for the surgeon. With laparoscopic techniques, on the other hand, the incisions are much smaller as the result of using innovative and tiny devices such as cameras, cutting tools and (in the case of the TOGA procedure) stomach staplers as well.

Most of the less-invasive alternatives to open surgery offer several key benefits. They are generally less painful afterward, as a result of the smaller incisions, and they also minimize recovery time. Weight loss surgery.

Author Resource:

Brandon Cornett is the creator of the Bariatric Learning Center, a website that educates consumers on all aspects of weight loss surgery. You can learn more about the TOGA surgery and similar topics by visiting www.bariatriclearningcenter.com. we recommend you visit TogaClinicalStudy.com if you want to learn more about this topic. Article written by Brandon R. Cornett.

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