Post written by Andrew C. Storm, MD, from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

Endoscopic suturing is a great “bridge-building” tool in endoscopy, and I’m not just talking about the tissue bridges created during endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty.

The OverStitch device (Apollo OverStitch; Austin, Tex, USA) permits a therapeutic endoscopist to perform surgical tissue remodeling via the flexible endoscopist’s minimally invasive natural orifice pathway to the benefit of patients and referring physicians across specialties.

From closing an acute perforation for a surgical or endoscopy colleague to repairing an incompetent gastrojejunal anastomosis for weight regain after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for an endocrinology patient to fixing a postoperative leak or fistula for a complex inflammatory bowel disease patient, endoscopic suturing is an invaluable tool in modern therapeutic endoscopy in regards to helping patients and colleagues.

Led by Dr. Kristin Lescalleet, the case presentation in this video is an example of a cross-specialty bridge enabled through endoscopic suturing. A young, healthy patient with spontaneous esophageal rupture avoided a risky, maximally invasive surgical intervention through endoscopic sutured therapies.

Placement of stay sutures through the interstices of the stent. Pictured are the T-tag from the first stay suture placement (3 o’clock position) and mid-suture placement of the second stay suture placement.

Read the full article online.

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