Belt puts squeeze on obesity
2004-04-08 08:56
Warsaw - A stomach belt devised by Polish surgeons is putting the squeeze on critically obese patients.
A 40-year-old woman recently became the first patient to have her stomach trussed-up during a brief operation in the central Polish city of Lodz, the local "Dziennik Lodzki" daily reported on Wednesday.
Another patient is expected to undergo the same procedure later this month.
Surgeon Krzystof Kolomecki says the method involves tying a special surgical belt around a patient's stomach using four small punctures though their skin and a special visual probe.
"The operation lasts an hour-and-a-half and the patient can go home after three days," says Kolomecki, noting the method is less invasive than the established medical procedure of stomach stapling.
With their stomachs securely trussed-up, patients will eat less, lose weight and keep it off, says Kolomecki. - Sapa-dpa
- SAPA