BALTIMORE – – September 15, 2026 -- MedStar Health has performed its first endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), a non-surgical procedure that shrinks the stomach without incisions, offering a new weight-loss option for patients who don't want or don't qualify for traditional bariatric surgery.
Christopher You, MD, a board-certified general and bariatric surgeon at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, performed the procedure on Aug. 21. The patient went home the same day.
The 90-minute procedure reshapes the stomach through the mouth
While the patient is under mild sedation, Dr. You inserts a flexible tube with a tiny camera through the mouth and into the stomach. Using special sutures, he reduces the stomach's size into a smaller, tube-like pouch. No part of the stomach is removed, and there are no external cuts or scars.
Most patients resume normal activity within days
Because there are no incisions, most patients return home the same day and can resume routine activities within several days, according to MedStar Health.
A published study found 14 percent average body weight loss
Dr. You said ESG is not experimental, citing a study published in The Lancet that found patients who underwent the procedure lost an average of 14 percent of their body weight within one year and maintained that loss for two years. Patients relying on diet and exercise alone in the same study lost almost no weight.
Obesity affects more than one billion people worldwide
According to the World Obesity Foundation, obesity is linked to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and sleep apnea. While bariatric surgery remains effective for many patients, some are not candidates for or do not want traditional surgery, a gap Dr. You said ESG is designed to address.
"Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty gives us another important tool in the treatment of obesity,