"This research fits using the trend to plan minimal invasive
treatment for the maximum benefit," said Kirk Habegger, co-lead author
from the study and an assistant professor at the University of
Cincinnati.
Weight-loss surgery, for example gastric bypass, is more difficult, meizitang
Habegger said. "That's a significant surgery -- you are making a small
pouch from the stomach, just 5 percent of their original size, and
bypass one-third to one-half of the small intestine," he explained.
Wls
is designed for severely obese people -- commonly defined as those
weighing a minimum of 100 pounds more than is ideal for their age and
height -- who've been unsuccessful losing weight through diet, exercise
or medication. It functions by physically restricting the quantity of
food people can eat or by interrupting this meizitang enzymatic process.
For
the study, tiny silicone intestinal barrier sleeves were crafted for
rats and placed surgically just inside the end from the stomach,
extending across the intestine close to the ligament of Treitz, an
anatomical landmark. The process was performed surgically, instead of
endoscopy, because doing endoscopy in rats is not feasible, Habegger
said.
