The surgeons of the SSM Weight Loss Institute at DePaul are helping to pioneer a new endoscopic weight loss procedure. FDA trials for the incision-less gastric bypass procedure they helped to invent are now underway at Washington University and 9 other medical centers across the country.

Drs. J. Stephen Scott and Roger de la Torre are among the founders of the company (Satiety, Inc.) that developed the TOGA procedure and is now funding the FDA trials. In fact, Dr. Scott proctored the very first human trial of this procedure, done in Mexico in February of 2006.

“From developing the initial concept through the engineering and design of the device and then developing the procedural technique, we’ve been working on this project for over 5 years.  So it was very exciting to be in Mexico City, working with a local gastroenterologist there (who had medical privileges at the hospital) to perform the first human trial of this revolutionary procedure. Obesity is a national epidemic and this procedure has the potential to open the door for more patients to receive a potentially life-saving cure,” says Dr. Scott.

Dr. de la Torre explains, “In the past, patients had to be between 100 and 300 pounds over their ideal body weight in order to qualify for the gastric bypass procedure. But this endoscopic approach could be used on patients either under or over that threshold. Plus it doesn’t require any incisions, making the recovery much quicker. We are thrilled that the FDA trials are now underway.”

In the experimental TOGA procedure, a flexible stapling device is passed through the patient's mouth into the stomach. The physician then creates a pouch that restricts the opening of the stomach to slow down the digestive process. As with other weight loss surgery, patients should begin to feel fuller sooner after they start to eat, reducing their calorie intake.