Bariatric surgery continues to advance with improvements in procedures and techniques that can benefit patients with safer, quicker, and better surgical outcomes.
One of the latest advances to emerge in weight loss surgery is a new surgical platform known as the STARR Treatment. STARR, an acronym for Surgical Tiny Access and Rapid Recovery is not a new type of weight loss surgery, but an innovative laparoscopic system that improves upon current techniques for minimally invasive weight loss surgery.
The STARR Treatment is made possible with the SPIDER Surgical System and the SPIDER MicroLap line of tools from the medical device company TransEnterix. Using this newer laparoscopic system, bariatric surgeons can perform laparoscopic weight loss surgery through a small, single incision usually located in the patient’s belly button.
Since bariatric surgery patients experience fewer and smaller incisions with STARR weight loss surgery than with conventional laparoscopic surgery, they can potentially benefit from reduced post-operative pain, a quicker recovery, and a virtually scarless aesthetic outcome.
The term laparoscopic surgery, also known as minimally invasive surgery, refers to a surgical technique that allows operations in the abdomen to be performed through a series of small incisions, rather than the larger incisions needed for laparotomy, or open surgery. The development of laparoscopic surgery in the 1990′s was a significant advancement in surgical techniques and is generally the preferred option compared to open surgery for the majority of patients.
Now, the SPIDER Surgical System used in combination with the SPIDER MicroLap line of tools is set to advance laparoscopic surgery even further.
- The SPIDER Surgical System is a flexible laparoscopic platform that allows multiple instruments to be used through a single, small incision approximately the same size as a dime (18mm); conventional laparoscopic surgery requires five to six across the patient’s abdomen.
- The SPIDER MicroLap tools are significantly smaller, measuring only 2.7mm in diameter; conventional laparoscopic tools are typically 5mm to 10mm in diameter.
To perform laparoscopic surgery using the SPIDER system, the surgeon makes a small incision in the belly button and inserts the surgical device into the body. Once inside, the system expands like an umbrella, creating room at the surgical site for the surgeon to manipulate the tiny surgical tools so that they bend and move in a wide range of motion. When the procedure is complete, the system is collapsed; then the tools and system are removed from the body through the original incision.
Since patients receive fewer incisions with SPIDER surgery than with conventional laparoscopic surgery, they are expected to have less scarring, a faster recovery, and less post-operative pain. As with any type of surgery, however, every patient is different and surgical outcomes vary between patients. In some cases, more than one incision may be necessary. Patients are instructed to discuss their procedures and expectations with their surgeon.
The STARR Treatment has been successfully used to perform gastric banding and gastric sleeve weight loss procedures.
