Gastroparesis Treatment & Surgery
Gastroparesis treatment overview
What is Enterra® Therapy?
What is the surgical procedure for implanting the gastric electric stimulator?
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Gastroparesis treatment overview
Treatment options for both diabetic and non-diabetic patients include:
- Oral medications
- Changes in eating habits
- Enterra® Therapy
- In severe cases, feeding tubes and intravenous feeding
Treating gastroparesis in diabetic patients may assist in controlling blood glucose levels and allow for changes in insulin type and timing of injections.
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What is Enterra® Therapy?
Enterra® Therapy is an innovative treatment that has been approved by the FDA as a humanitarian use device when conventional drug therapies for gastroparesis are not effective. The device is called a gastric electric stimulator.
Enterra® Therapy uses mild electrical pulses to stimulate the lower stomach (antrum). It is a fully implantable system that consists of two unipolar intramuscular leads (thin wires) and a neurostimulator. Because the neurostimulator can be turned on or off, the physician can terminate Enterra® Therapy.
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What is the surgical procedure for implanting the gastric electric stimulator?
A physician, most often a gastroenterologist, may prescribe Enterra® Therapy if drug therapy is not effective in treating gastroparesis. The treatment is performed under general anesthesia and involves two steps: implant and post-implant.
Implant: stimulation is delivered with an implanted medical device consisting of a stimulator, which is similar in size and function to a cardiac pacemaker, and two leads with electrodes at one end.
Implantation is performed under general anesthesia and can range from one to three hours. Using laparoscopy or laparotomy, the surgeon fixes the electrodes to the wall of the stomach. The connector of each lead is attached to a neurostimulator, also know as a gastric electric stimulator, which is placed in the abdominal wall, under the patient’s skin.
Following gastroparesis surgery, most patients spend one to five nights in the hospital before returning home, depending on their medical condition.
Post-implant: following implant, the stimulator is turned on. Adjustments to the stimulation of the stomach wall can be made non-invasively in an outpatient setting to optimize therapy for each patient. Follow-up exams to monitor the therapy’s effectiveness may vary in frequency from six to twelve months.
Patients should speak with their physician before undergoing surgery to ensure that they fully understand the procedure, including the risks, and what to expect afterward.
Our world-renowned gastroparesis specialists:
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Schedule an appointment
To learn more about gastroparesis treatments, schedule an appointment with a Temple Digestive Disease Center Physician by clicking here or calling 1-800-TEMPLE-MED [1-800-836-7536].
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Sources:
Used with permission of Medtronic, Inc.
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