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WEDNESDAY, March 21, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Percutaneous computed tomography (CT)-guided cryoablation of the posterior vagal trunk is safe and feasible for patients with mild to moderate obesity, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology, held from March 17 to 22 in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
David Prologo, M.D., from the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, and colleagues examined the feasibility and safety of percutaneous CT-guided cryoablation of the posterior vagal trunk in 10 subjects with mild-to-moderate obesity (body mass index between 30 and 37 kg\/m\u00b2). Patients were primarily evaluated for procedure-related complications or adverse events; at baseline and at each follow-up visit, anthropometric measurements were obtained.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that there was a 100 percent technical success rate and no procedure-related complications. No adverse events were identified during follow-up. At 90 days, the average total weight loss and excess BMI lost were 3.6 and 13.9 percent, respectively. At all follow-up points after the procedure, all patients reported decreased appetite: 17, 30, and 53 percent reported somewhat less appetite, much less appetite, and very much less appetite, respectively.<\/p>\n
“When our stomachs are empty, the body senses this and switches to food-seeking survival mode,” Prologo said in a statement. “We’re not trying to eliminate this biological response, only reduce the strength of this signal to the brain to provide a new, sustainable solution to the difficult problem of treating mild obesity.”<\/p>\n
The study was funded by HealthTronics, which manufactures the ablation probes used for the treatment.<\/p>\n
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