Methods and devices for treating obesity and gerd by intussuscepting a portion of stomach tissue

Abstract

Described here are devices and methods for intussuscepting a portion of stomach tissue. Typically the intussusception is created at a position near, but distal to the gastroesophageal junction, and a pouch capable of storing a volume (from about 0 cc up to about 100 cc) is created proximal the intussuscepted tissue. In this way, the amount of food that may be ingested is reduced, helping to ameliorate GERD symptoms, and aiding in weight loss efforts. Some of the devices described here include an expandable member and at least one suction inlet. In these devices, the expandable member is expanded to create a proximal cavity into which the stomach tissue is pulled (e.g., using suction), thereby creating the intussusception.

1 . A method for intussuscepting a portion of a stomach comprising:
 creating an intussusception with stomach tissue distal to a gastroesophageal junction; and   deploying one or more anchors through the intussuscepted tissue to secure the intussusception.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the intussusception is created in a single step. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the anchors are deployed through the intussuscepted tissue simultaneously. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising positioning one or more anchors adjacent to the intussuscepted tissue prior to deploying the one or more anchors. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the one or more anchors are positioned simultaneously. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising positioning at least one retaining material adjacent to the intussusception prior to deploying one or more anchors through the intussuscepted tissue, wherein the one or more anchors are further deployed through at least a portion of the retaining material. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the intussusception is created at a position distal to a pouch that is capable of retaining from about 0 cc up to about 100 cc in volume. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the position is determined using a sizing component. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the intussusception is created using suction. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the intussusception is created with the aid of a feedback mechanism. 
     
     
         11 . A method for intussuscepting a portion of a stomach comprising:
 transorally advancing a device to a position distal to a gastroesophageal junction, wherein the device comprises an expandable member and a suction inlet; and   creating an intussusception with a portion of the stomach tissue distal to the gastroesophageal junction using the expandable member and suction.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the device further comprises one or more anchor introducers having one or more anchors therein and the method further comprises deploying the one or more anchors to secure the intussusception. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein securing the intussusception using the one or more anchors further comprises deploying the one or more anchors through at least a portion of at least one retaining material. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the at least one retaining material is positioned about at least a portion of the expandable member. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the at least one retaining material is released from the expandable member when the expandable member is hyper expanded. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the one or more anchors are deployed simultaneously. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12  further comprising positioning one or more anchors adjacent to the intussuscepted tissue prior to deploying the one or more anchors. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the one or more anchors are positioned simultaneously. 
     
     
         19 . A device for creating an intussusception in a portion of stomach tissue comprising:
 an intussusception-creating component for creating an intussusception through the portion of stomach tissue; and   at least one anchor for deploying through the intussuscepted tissue.   
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 19  wherein the intussusception-creating component is an expandable member.