Eight experts will discuss novel endoscopic approaches for the treatment of obesity during Tuesday’s Kelly and Carlos Pelligrini SSAT and SAGES Luncheon Symposium. The annual symposium, which qualifies for up to three hours of CME credit and does not require a ticket, is co-sponsored by SSAT and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES).

Symposium co-moderator Aurora Pryor, MD, director of the Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Loss Center at Stony Brook University, NY, said there’s a clear need for alternatives to bariatric surgery when treating obese patients.

“Currently, only about 1 percent of people who qualify for bariatric surgery are actually pursuing it,” she said. “Fortunately during the past couple of years, several new devices have been approved by the FDA to treat obesity. Surgeons are trying to determine how these devices might fit into their practices and what the benefits might be for patients.”

During the three-hour symposium, Erik Wilson, MD, medical director of bariatric surgery at Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center, Houston, will discuss the use of intragastric balloons. Reem Z. Sharaiha, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, will discuss endoscopic gastroplasty and suturing procedures.

Other presentations will review gastrointestinal bypass sleeves and aspiration therapy.

“Our panelists will address the risks, benefits and indications of these treatment options,” Dr. Pryor said. “Attendees will come away with the knowledge they need to discuss these approaches with patients. Our experts are all engaged in the practice of these new procedures and can speak from practical experience about how these new therapies fit into their practices. They’ll bring real-world success stories as well as examples of the potential pitfalls surgeons will face.”

Session presenters will also discuss treatment options that may be available in the future.

Dr. Pryor will review space-occupying devices, including devices currently on the market and newer procedures such as the TransPyloric Shuttle system and the Full Sense device, neither of which has been approved by the FDA. Ozanan R. Meireles, MD, assistant professor of surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, will review other emerging technologies, including magnets and small bowel ablation.

The symposium will also include a lecture on the revision of gastrojejunostomy after gastric bypass and a discussion of integrating these new, self-pay procedures into GI practices.

Please refer to the DDW Mobile App or the Program section in Tuesday’s DDW Daily News for additional details on this and other DDW^® events.