Surgeons Staple Stomach Through Mouth

Researchers have found another way to do stomach-stapling surgery. The surgery is done to treat obesity. Stapling the stomach makes it smaller. People lose weight because they are not able to eat as much. At a conference, researchers reported a way to reach the stomach through the mouth. One hundred Europeans got either the stomach stapling or a fake procedure. Those who got the real treatment lost an average of 45% of their body weight in 18 months. A U.S. study is still in progress. The Associated Press wrote about the studies June 4.