Non-surgical weight-loss option now available at Royal Alex

‘I’m sleeping better, walking easier, and have so much more energy’

Story by Sharman Hnatiuk | Photos & video by Evan Isbister

Mary-Ann Therbur feels better equipped to manage her weight since having endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG). She’s here with Dr. Kirles Bishay, gastroenterologist, left, and Dr. Noah Switzer, upper gastrointestinal and bariatric surgeon. Photo by Evan Isbister.

EDMONTON — At 65 years of age, Mary-Ann Therbur is looking forward to retirement with the kind of energy and excitement that she hasn’t felt in years. In February, Therbur became one of 10 patients in the province to receive a new minimally invasive weight-loss procedure performed by bariatric surgery and gastroenterology teams at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.

For the past 50 years, Therbur has struggled with weight management. After finding recent success by losing 80 pounds on appetite-suppression medication, she found herself debating the risks and recovery of traditional bariatric surgery as a long-term weight management treatment.

When Dr. Noah Switzer, upper gastrointestinal and bariatric surgeon with the Edmonton Adult Bariatric Specialty Surgery Clinic, offered a cutting-edge, minimally-invasive treatment which requires no cutting, she was ready to say ‘yes’.

Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) reduces the stomach size by suturing it internally. The surgical team inserts a thin flexible tube with a camera down the mouth to reach the stomach. They then use tools through the endoscope to stitch the stomach from the inside to reduce the size of the organ. The procedure typically takes about 90 minutes.

“This procedure is a significant advancement in the field of weight-loss surgery,” says Dr. Switzer. “Rather than having a complex surgery requiring extensive recovery, patients have access to technology that requires no cuts or incisions that allows them to go home the same or next day.”

Since having the procedure in February, Therbur is off appetite suppression medication and has managed to lose an additional 12 pounds.

“I used to feel self-conscious about my weight in public. I struggled to get a seat belt connected on an airplane and felt insecure about how much space I was taking in the row,” says Therbur.

“Now I don’t feel like people even notice me. I am sleeping better, walking easier, and I have so much more energy. As I approach retirement, I’m excited to travel because of how much better I’m feeling. I’m so grateful this procedure was available for me in Edmonton.”

Like bariatric surgery, the new procedure makes patients feel full with less food, leading to weight loss and improvement in weight-related conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.

“Unlike a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, where upwards of 80 per cent of the stomach is removed, ESG uses an endoscopic suturing device to fold and stitch the stomach tissue into a smaller shape, keeping the entire organ in place,” says Dr. Kirles Bishay, gastroenterologist at the hospital.

“Thanks to new technology, we can reduce the size of the stomach without removing any part of the stomach, meaning ESG patients have a lower risk of surgery and quicker recovery.”

The endoscopic procedure is jointly performed by a surgeon and gastroenterologist through the Edmonton Adult Bariatric Specialty Surgery Clinic at the Royal Alex, which is the only facility in Alberta where the procedure is performed. Dr. Switzer estimates around 40 patients have received ESG across the country, with Edmonton now home to the second-largest program in Canada.