How Does ESG Help with Weight Loss?
By reducing your stomach volume, ESG restricts how much you can eat and slows gastric emptying. This leads to effective weight loss without surgery. Most patients lose 15-20% of their total body weight within 12 months when combined with nutritional and lifestyle support.
ESG vs Sleeve Gastrectomy: What’s the Difference?
Unlike sleeve gastrectomy, which permanently removes part of the stomach, ESG is performed entirely through the mouth with no incisions or surgical removal. ESG is reversible, has a shorter recovery time, and still provides substantial weight loss results, making it an excellent option for many patients.
Who is a Candidate for ESG?
ESG is ideal for adults with a BMI of 30-50 who have not achieved weight loss through diet and exercise alone. Our team thoroughly evaluates each patient to ensure ESG is the safest and most effective option for their health goals.
Benefits of ESG at Digestive Care Specialists
Choosing Digestive Care Specialists for ESG means:
- Expert gastroenterologists led by Dr. Halim Charbel
- High number of ESG procedures performed with excellent outcomes
- Very low complication rates
- A comprehensive weight loss program including nutrition counseling, behavioral support, and medical management to maximize long-term success
Our ESG Expertise in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia
Our team at Digestive Care Specialists has extensive experience performing ESG for patients across the DMV region. Led by Dr. Halim Charbel, a board-certified gastroenterologist with specialized training in bariatric endoscopy, we provide safe, effective ESG with outstanding patient results and personalized care.
What to Expect During the ESG Procedure
ESG is performed under sedation using an endoscope with a suturing device. The procedure takes about 60-90 minutes, and most patients go home the same day with minimal downtime. Recovery is quick, and patients generally return to normal activities within a few days.
ESG Recovery and Results
With proper dietary changes, medical monitoring, and lifestyle support, ESG can lead to long-term weight loss and significant improvements in obesity-related conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea.
Why Choose Digestive Care Specialists for ESG?
We are dedicated to helping patients in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia achieve their weight loss goals with advanced endoscopic options, compassionate care, and a multidisciplinary team to support every step of your journey.
What are the health benefits of ESG?
In addition to weight loss patients who undergo an ESG see an improvement in their weight-related health problems such as blood sugar, blood pressure as well as mood and obstructive sleep apnea. Patients also see a decrease in their risk of serious health events with significant excess weight loss.
Is Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty covered by insurance?
Medicare covers ESG as long as the patient meets the criteria for bariatric surgery. At this point, the ESG procedure is mostly not covered by commercial insurance. We are sometimes able to get certain commercial insurance plans to cover ESG after a long process or prior authorization requests and appeals. We are hoping that with the appropriate billing codes becoming available soon, we may start seeing ESG and other endoscopic bariatric procedures covered by insurance, with certain conditions and restrictions that depend on the insurance plans.
How much does the ESG procedure cost?
The average self-pay ESG cost in the US is around $12,000. This varies depending on the practice, hospital or outpatient surgery center setting, and location. We offer competitive self-pay ESG pricing. Please check out our ESG package pricing here.
