Weight Loss clinical trials at UCSF

Morbid obesity and its associated metabolic diseases are on the rise in the United States. Currently, the best treatment for obesity is bariatric surgery where both roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy offer substantial weight loss. Unfortunately, 20% of patients who undergo bariatric surgery fail to lose enough weight defined as less than 50% of excess body weight loss or regain of weight. For those patients who fail to lose weight after bariatric surgery and have failed maximal medical therapy and diet supervision, the treatment is re-operation and revision. Re-operation of the abdomen carries significant postoperative morbidity and mortality. The investigators propose to use the Apollo OverStitch endoscopic suturing device that has already been approved by the FDA as an option for bariatric surgery revision without having to re-operate on the patient. The investigators believe that the endoscopic technique may be able to provide weight loss without having to re-operate on the patient.