best choice," says Dr. Jones. "But for those who want to lose some
weight but aren't qualified for normal gastric bypass or the sleeve, the
technology may work nicely."
The ReShape Dual Balloon is endoscopically inserted into the stom-
ach and filled with saline. The balloon remains in the stomach for 6
months and helps reduce hunger.
4
Modern hernia mesh
There is no one perfect hernia mesh, but manufacturers are try-
ing to expand your options and offer more meshes to fit a larger
variety of cases and budgets.
While surgeons often want to use pricey biologics in cases where
there's a high risk of infection, several new synthetic alternatives are
designed to help the fixed hernia heal while minimizing complica-
tions. Bio-absorbable meshes, traditionally used in trauma surgery, are
now designed to be lighter and work in cases where there's a greater
risk of infection. The body gradually absorbs these meshes over sever-
al months, and some preliminary research shows that they can treat
high-risk hernias just as well as biologic mesh, at a much lower cost.
(osmag.net/TNn6Vh).
Taking that a step further are hybrid meshes, says Dr. Pryor. These
meshes combine the stability of a permanent, polypropylene mesh
with the biologic/bio-absorbable's promotion of tissue growth. In
these designs, a permanent synthetic mesh is coated with either a bio-
logic or bio-absorbable coating. They tend to work best in contaminat-
ed and some clean-contaminated cases, she says, though initial
research hasn't yet proven their advantages over standard mesh.
"We're still trying to figure out exactly how to use it and what it
works best for," says Dr. Pryor, "but I am interested in seeing its
potential."
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