NBC Interviews Dr. Sharaiha on the Sewing Machine ‘No-Incision’ Surgery for Weight Loss

Dr. Reem Sharaiha

Dr. Reem Z. Sharaiha, a New York City-based physician and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Weill Cornell Medicine, was interviewed on NBC News in New York about a promising weight-loss procedure that does not require incisions.  This non-invasive procedure has been performed by Dr. Sharaiha, a Weill Cornell Medicine gastroenterologist, more than 200 times and is bringing new hope for people who want to lose 40 pounds or more. The procedure, called endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), has been added to a list of options targeted to the reduction of obesity.

As part of a study carried out by Dr. Sharaiha, post-procedure results have shown that patients are dropping close to 18 percent of their body weight and, on average, a remarkable 10.6 inches from their waists. There was also a marked decrease seen in morbid obesity — as assessed by body mass index (BMI). Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is geared for people with type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, unhealthy cholesterol and a BMI of less than 40, or those above 40 deemed not to be surgical candidates. It involves an endoscopic tube (with a camera attached) that is inserted via the mouth into the esophagus and lets a gastroenterologist see inside the stomach.

“There are a series of sutures going from one part of the stomach to the bottom of the stomach all the way to the top. No scars, no cuts. You are asleep, like going to the dentist to pull your teeth out,” explains Dr. Sharaiha, who has had the results of her study published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (May 2017).

On June 6, 2017, NBC’s New York affiliate aired an interview with Dr. Sharaiha, which included an in-depth personal vignette of a New York resident and mother of three who had great success with weight loss following the procedure. Obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) over 30, affects 78.6 million Americans — more than one-third of U.S. adults, according to the National Institutes of Health.