Non-Surgical Obesity Treatment (Stomach Muscle Relaxation)

Stomach Muscle Relaxation

If we look at the history of muscle relaxation treatment applied to the stomach, it has been practiced for about 14-15 years. This method affects nerve endings and prevents some muscles from contracting. The muscle relaxation treatment has been used since 2004. The procedure is performed by injecting a certain amount of a special compound into the exit point of the stomach. Before the procedure, the patient must undergo endoscopy and his stomach should be evaluated, because a situation that may prevent the injection in the stomach, for example, maybe a stomach ulcer. This treatment cannot be performed in cases such as the deformation of the structure we call the pylorus, which allows the stomach to empty.

The most successful treatment method in patients with a body mass index of 35 and over 40 is bariatric surgery. However, nowadays, we also use some non-surgical methods to reduce the complications and risks that may develop after surgery in patients who are afraid of surgical methods or who are overweight.

At the beginning of these, the most used method was the gastric balloon application, since the side effects and complaints related to the balloon procedure are very high, especially within 3-5 days, we have been using stomach muscle relaxation extensively for the last 1 year. This method is applied to patients just like a gastric balloon. Endoscopy is performed on the patient. It is a method that plastic surgeons generally apply to their patients for beautification. It has been used in our field, the field of general surgery, for many years. This method has been widely used especially in achalasia disease and anal fissure disease. However, it has started to be used in the treatment of obesity.

Looking at the statistics, it was seen that the success rates of gastric muscle relaxation and gastric balloon were compared and the results were very close to each other.

Stomach muscle relaxation application is done daily and is applied under sedation accompanied by endoscopy, the procedure takes 10-15 minutes, after the procedure, the patients are discharged after resting in the hospital for about half an hour. It does not require hospitalization. It has been successfully applied in nearly 150 patients in our clinic, and it is a method with a very high level of satisfaction and success rates.