Back to Homepage
Most often, gastroparesis surgery or surgical procedures themselves are unnecessary. And they also have limited efficacy. One type of surgery is the installation of what we call a gastric pacemaker. And this device actually sends mild electric shocks to the stomach muscles in hopes of controlling symptoms and improving gastroparesis. The strength of the shocks can be adjusted by the physician inserting the device. And typically it runs with a battery that lasts for approximately 10 years or so. There are also endoscopic procedures that are less invasive. During a traditional upper endoscopy, a gastroenterologist can actually inject something called Botox into the pylorus, which is the valve that empties the stomach. This will at least temporarily relax the muscle and allow people to get some immediate relief for symptoms of gastroparesis. Besides injecting Botox, a newer procedure is called an oral pyloromyotomy. And this is when actually the sphincter muscle, the pylorus, is actually physically cut and food is allowed to travel more easily out of the stomach into the small intestine. As I mentioned, all of these surgical procedures really have limited efficacy and thus they’re traditionally used after other measures have really been exhausted.
