The N.E.W. Program is one of the first centers in the United States to offer a new bariatric procedure, the Laparoscopic Gastric Plication. This exciting procedure is the latest new technique being tested as a primary weight loss procedure by The N.E.W. Program.
Laparoscopic Gastric Plication is expected to have similar weight loss to the Gastric Sleeve procedure, and better weight loss than the Lap-Band™. However, unlike the Gastric Sleeve Procedure there is no portion of the stomach removed, and unlike the Band procedure there is no implanted artificial device, or need for adjustments.
Gastric Plication involves using permanent stitches to fold the stomach upon itself and reduce its capacity to hold food. Your natural stomach remains entirely in place. There are many potential advantages to the Gastric Plication including a very low rate of complications, no malabsorption and the potential for the procedure to be reversed.
This procedure is new and should only be performed in the setting of a clinical research trial, such as the one being conducted by The N.E.W. Program. We hope that our clinical trial will show this procedure to be effective and safe, and will allow us to perform the gastric plication as an outpatient procedure.
Early studies have shown that weight loss after Gastric Plication is equivalent to the Sleeve Gastrectomy and Gastric Bypass, and is substantially greater than the Band (e.g. Lap-Band™). The Gastric Plication may be ideal for patients that desire a powerful and safe weight loss procedure that does not require adjustments, staples, or implantation of an artificial device. The potential to reverse the procedure may also make this surgery attractive to some patients, including adolescents.