HCA Virginia Physicians
November 23, 2015

Richmond, Va. (Nov. 11, 2015) – Dr. Gregory Schroder, bariatric surgeon with Advanced Surgical Partners of Virginia, successfully completed the first OverStitch endoscopic suturing procedure in Central Virginia at Parham Doctors’ Hospital, a MBSAQIP-accredited surgical weight loss center.

Manufactured by Apollo Endosurgery, the OverStitch Endoscopic Suturing System enables advanced endoscopic procedures by allowing physicians to place full-thickness sutures through a flexible endoscope with no external incisions. This technology is generally used to treat conditions in the stomach or bowel, and as a revisional procedure following weight loss surgery.

Because weight regain is possible after weight loss surgeries, “revision” procedures are standard within the specialty, restoring the initial surgical result. Traditional revision surgery can be challenging, as scar tissue and adhesions from the initial weight loss procedure can make the surgery more difficult and complex, taking longer and resulting in increased complications. Performed under light sedation, the OverStitchTM procedure eliminates many of these risks, and often allows patients to even go home the same day as the surgery.

“There are several ways a patient can regain weight,” says Schroder, “but the most common is the gradual stretching of the gastric outlet, which can cause patients to take longer in feeling full, thus consuming more food. The OverStitchTM allows us to reduce the outlet back to its initial post-surgery size, thus restarting the weight loss process. We can also additionally reduce the stomach’s volume capacity at the same time.”

For patients who are skeptical of a second surgery after experiencing setbacks from initial bariatric surgery, they now have an incision-less option with the benefits of less post-operative pain, faster recovery, and no further abdominal scarring, getting them back to their normal lives as quickly as possible.

Learn More About Surgical Weight Loss Procedures