ASGE issues guidelines on the role of endoscopy in the bariatric surge...( OAK BROOK Ill. July 25 2008 The A...),Health

OAK BROOK, Ill. July 25, 2008 The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has issued guidelines on the role of endoscopy in the bariatric surgery patient. The rising prevalence of obesity in the United States and the success in surgical interventions led to a marked increase in the number of weight-loss surgeries performed in the U.S., from 13,365 in 1998 to 102,794 in 2003. The guidelines discuss endoscopy in the preoperative patient and the postoperative patient, and appear in the July issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the ASGE.

Endoscopy is a procedure that uses an endoscope, a thin, flexible tube with a light and a lens on the end to look into the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, small intestine, colon, or rectum, in order to diagnose or treat a condition. There are many types of endoscopy, including colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, gastroscopy, enteroscopy, and esophogogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). ASGE is known as the profession's leader in setting standards of excellence in endoscopy and is committed to setting the highest-quality standards for GI endoscopy through its safety guidelines and the training of its members so that patients receive the best and safest care possible. The guideline, "Role of Endoscopy in the Bariatric Surgery Patient," was prepared by the ASGE Standards of Practice Committee.

"Obesity in this country is a major health problem that contributes to increased morbidity, mortality and a host of diseases. Bariatric surgery results in durable and significant weight loss," said Jason A. Dominitz, MD, MHS, chair of ASGE's Standards of Practice Committee. "Endoscopy plays an important role in the preoperative bariatric patient to detect and/or treat lesions in the gastrointestinal tract that might potentially affect the type of surgery performed. In addition, endoscopy is used to diagnose and treat many of the postoperative symptoms or conditions the p
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