New Weight-Loss Surgery to Lose 20-50 Pounds - East Idaho News
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New Weight-Loss Surgery to Lose 20-50 Pounds

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Getty H 120510 WeightScale?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1339598919194Brand X Pictures/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A new surgical weight-loss procedure is now available to women who are looking to slim down and lose 25 to 70 pounds.

Dr. Tom Lavin, founder of Surgical Specialists in Louisiana, is a pioneer behind the hottest new weight-loss procedure called POSE, which stands for primary obesity surgery endoluminol.

“POSE is for patients who want to lose 25-50, maybe 60 or 70 pounds,” says Lavin. “It’s a much different group of people than we normally approach for bariatric surgery.”

POSE is like the classic bypass operation, but there are no incisions, as everything is done through the mouth using an endoscope. The surgical tools make the stomach about 30 percent smaller, says Lavin, and the patient typically goes home the same day.

Critics argue that while the endoscope has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, its use in weight-loss surgery has not been approved, and no long-term studies have been done in the U.S. to test its safety or effectiveness.

“Until we have good data, it’s not something that we should be promoting to the public,” says Dr. Shawn Garber, director of the New York Bariatric Group. “You are putting needles through the patient’s stomach, you are putting a device down through the esophagus — there are risks.”

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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