Published online Jul 10, 2015. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v7.i8.777
Peer-review started: September 4, 2014
First decision: January 20, 2015
Revised: February 13, 2015
Accepted: April 27, 2015
Article in press: April 29, 2015
Published online: July 10, 2015
Processing time: 313 Days and 6.6 Hours
Endoscopic suturing had previously been considered an experimental procedure only performed in a few centers and often by surgeons. Now, however, endoscopic suturing has evolved sufficiently to be easily implemented during procedures and is more commonly used by gastroenterologists. We have employed the Apollo OverStitch suturing device in a variety of ways including closure of perforations, closure of full thickness defects in the gastrointestinal wall created during endoscopic full thickness resection, closure of mucosotomies during peroral endoscopic myotomy, stent fixation, fistula closure, post endoscopic submucosal dissection, endoscopic mucosal resection and Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery defect closures, post-bariatric surgery gastrojejunal anastomosis revision and primary sleeve gastroplasty.
Core tip: The recent development of an endoscopic suturing platform, the only such device that is currently available in the United States, has led to a rapid expansion of endoscopic suturing applications ranging from simple procedures such as stent fixation to more complex ones such as closure of large full thickness defects and primary and revisional bariatric endoscopic surgery.