Holy Name Press Releases

Holy Name Now Offering New Procedure that Bridges Gap between Medications and Surgery for Weight Loss

Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty Produces an Average Loss of Up to 23.1% of Total Body Weight After One Year

May 7, 2025

Obesity impacts more than 40% of adults in the United States, raising the risk for many health issues, such as heart disease, diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea and other conditions. As people increasingly turn to non-invasive options for weight loss, Holy Name is pleased to announce it now offers endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), an outpatient procedure in which a surgeon uses an endoscope fitted with stitching tools to reduce the stomach size by 70%. This new technique is appropriate for people with a BMI between 30 and 50 who do not want to be on weight loss medications indefinitely or undergo major surgery.

"Holy Name bariatric surgeons are at the forefront of technology and ongoing best practices to treat our patients who have obesity, which is a chronic medical condition,” says Dr. Omar Bellorin-Marin, Medical Director of GI Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery at Holy Name. “ESG is another alternative for weight loss that fits into our comprehensive bariatric and metabolic program. We are proud to be one of only a few medical centers in Bergen County to offer this new procedure."

An endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is an FDA-authorized, incisionless procedure that reshapes the stomach to make it smaller. Rather than cutting the stomach, the surgeon sutures it through a flexible tube inserted into the patient's throat. The entire procedure takes approximately one hour and is reversible. With a smaller stomach, patients will need less food to feel full, and as a result, lose weight.

ESG has been demonstrated as a more cost-effective option for treating obesity compared to lifestyle interventions, such as diet and exercise. After one year, ESG produces an average loss of up to 23.1% of total body weight, whereas research shows that diet and exercise generally provide a total body weight loss of only two to three percent.

In addition to ESG, Holy Name's surgeons offer several common weight loss surgeries, including gastric sleeve surgery, gastric bypass (also known as Roux-en-Y), single anastomosis duodenal switch for people with a BMI greater than 60 and lap band procedures. Recognizing the complexities of obesity and weight loss, Holy Name's experts guide patients in every aspect of their weight loss journey, including nutrition education and group support. Weight loss surgeries are effective in differing ways and results vary among individuals. For example, the lap band procedure works by shrinking the size of the stomach and how much a person is able to eat before feeling too full, whereas gastric bypass reduces the stomach and also changes how the body digests food so that fewer calories are absorbed. Which approach is best for a patient depends on their specific weight loss needs, medical history and lifestyle.

Holy Name Medical Center's comprehensive bariatric center is accredited by the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. For more information, visit www.holyname.org/bariatrics.