ESG Weight Loss: What the Studies Show – and What a Surgeon Finds When It Fails
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What the video covers
ESG weight loss – what can you expect, and what happens when it does not last? Op. Dr. Volkan Arayıcı has operated on more than 30 people whose endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) had failed. In two and a half minutes he explains what an ESG is, what the studies show about ESG weight loss, the downsides, what it costs in the UK and why the endoscopic sleeve weight loss often does not last.
The narrator’s voice is AI-generated; content and figures are from Op. Dr. Volkan Arayıcı. Subtitles in English, German, Spanish and Turkish. We do not perform ESG ourselves.
Key moments in the video
- 0:0030+ patients after a failed ESG
- 0:25POSE 2, POSE 3 and OverStitch
- 0:36What studies show
- 0:566 downsides
- 1:25What he finds in theatre
- 1:37Cost in the UK
- 1:49If your endoscopic sleeve did not hold
- 2:16Free assessment
ESG weight loss: what the studies show
Endoscopic sleeve weight loss starts quickly because the stomach is made smaller from the inside: through an endoscope passed via the mouth, the stomach wall is folded and stitched – no skin cuts, but under general anaesthetic. The common systems are POSE 2, POSE 3 and OverStitch.
- 3 months: around 13 % ESG weight loss in a meta-analysis (POSE 2)
- 6 months: around 16 %
- 1 year: 13.6 % in the MERIT trial
These are averages over a short time – endoscopic sleeve weight loss is measured in months, not years. For POSE 3, to Op. Dr. Arayıcı’s knowledge, there is still no independent long-term data on ESG weight loss.
The downsides behind the ESG weight loss figures
- Anchors and stitches can loosen; the folds flatten and the stomach stretches again.
- “No surgery” does not mean no anaesthetic.
- Nausea, vomiting and cramps are common in the first days.
- Foreign material stays in the stomach for good.
- Later surgery becomes more difficult.
- The cost: a private ESG in the UK costs about £9,000–£13,500 – and if you need surgery afterwards, you pay twice.
Free assessment – send your height, weight and age – and whether you had an ESG; Op. Dr. Volkan Arayıcı replies personally.
When the ESG weight loss does not last
When the endoscopic sleeve weight loss fades, the stitches have usually loosened. When he operates after a failed endoscopic sleeve, Op. Dr. Arayıcı often finds a thickened, scarred stomach wall, an irregular surface and plastic anchors grown into the wall. Surgery afterwards is possible, but it needs experience with exactly this anatomy.
- Day of arrival: admission to hospital, only a blood test
- Morning of surgery: endoscopy, then the operation
- Afterwards: four nights in a JCI- and TEMOS-accredited hospital in İzmir until discharge – no hotel transfer
- Price after ESG: gastric sleeve from £3,400, mini gastric bypass from £3,800 – all inclusive, flights not included
And if the ESG weight loss did not last for you: it is not a lack of discipline. Every operation carries risks – we discuss them with you in person before anything is decided.
Transcript of the video
Complete transcript, by chapter.
0:00 · 30+ patients after a failed ESG
0:00Op. Dr. Volkan Arayıcı has operated on more than 30 people whose endoscopic sleeve (ESG) had failed.
0:07What did he find?
0:10An endoscopic sleeve (ESG) makes the stomach smaller from the inside.
0:16Through an endoscope passed via the mouth, the stomach wall is folded and stitched – no cuts in the skin, but under general anaesthetic.
0:25 · POSE 2, POSE 3 and OverStitch
0:26The common systems are called POSE 2, POSE 3 and OverStitch.
0:30For POSE 3, to his knowledge, there is still no independent long-term data.
0:36 · What studies show
0:37Studies show a short-term effect.
0:40In a meta-analysis, around 13% weight loss after three months and 16% after six months.
0:48In the MERIT trial, 13.6% after one year.
0:53These are averages over a short time.
0:56 · 6 downsides
0:57The downsides are rarely in the brochure.
1:00One: anchors and stitches can loosen. The folds flatten and the stomach stretches again.
1:06Two: “no surgery” does not mean no anaesthetic.
1:10Three: nausea, vomiting and cramps are common in the first days.
1:15Four: the foreign material stays in the stomach for good.
1:19Five: a later operation becomes more difficult.
1:23Six: the cost.
1:25 · What he finds in theatre
1:26When he operates after a failed endoscopic sleeve, he often finds a thickened, scarred stomach wall,
1:33an irregular surface and plastic anchors grown into the wall.
1:37 · Cost in the UK
1:38In the UK, a private ESG costs about £9,000–£13,500.
1:45If you need surgery afterwards, you pay twice.
1:49 · If your endoscopic sleeve did not hold
1:50If your endoscopic sleeve did not hold: on the day you arrive, only blood is taken.
1:56On the morning of surgery, an endoscopy follows. Afterwards you stay four nights in hospital – no hotel.
2:03After ESG: gastric sleeve from £3,400, mini gastric bypass from £3,800, all inclusive, flights not included.
2:16 · Free assessment
2:16And if it did not work for you: it is not a lack of discipline.
2:20Every operation carries risks – we discuss them with you in person. Free assessment on WhatsApp.
Read more
- Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty failure – the full guide from a surgeon
- Gastric revision surgery – re-sleeve, bypass and conversions
- Bariatric surgery Turkey – Op. Dr. Volkan Arayıcı in İzmir
- Gastric sleeve Turkey – the procedure, recovery and results
- Gastric sleeve Turkey price – full price list
- How safe is gastric sleeve surgery in Turkey – accreditation and risks
- Gastric sleeve Izmir – the hospital and the team
Your questions to Op. Dr. Volkan Arayıcı
Send me your height, weight and age – I will tell you personally which operation is suitable and what it costs. A gastric sleeve costs from £3,000 as a fixed price, including pre-operative tests, four nights in hospital until discharge – no hotel – transfers, an interpreter and twelve months of aftercare; the flight is not included.
Whether an operation is right for you is decided individually. Results are not guaranteed.
Free assessment – send your height, weight and age – and whether you had an ESG; Op. Dr. Volkan Arayıcı replies personally.
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Op. Dr. Volkan Arayıcı
Specialist in Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery · Izmir, Turkey
This article was written and medically reviewed by Op. Dr. Volkan Arayıcı. Dr. Arayıcı has been exclusively specialising in bariatric surgery since 2014 and has performed over 5,000 procedures at a JCI- and TEMOS-accredited hospital in Izmir.
✍ Published: November 10, 2026 · 🔄 Updated: November 10, 2026 · About the author →
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