[Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery in future obesity treatment]

The current trend in surgery to minimize access trauma will continue. As experience grows, minimally invasive surgical techniques are used increasingly in major surgical procedures to treat morbid obesity. Obese patients benefit most from its low morbidity for complications. As a result transluminal endoscopic surgery via natural orifices (NOTES) is obviously of great interest due to its potential in obesity surgery. In NOTES procedures, natural orifices such as the transgastric, transvaginal, transcolonic, and transvesical routes are used. Possible advantages are faster recovery, less pain, greater patient mobility, no hernias, and better cosmesis. Endoscopic intraluminal techniques and sleeve gastrectomy are procedures which can be best transferred into NOTES and associated techniques. Obesity surgery is an important element of gastrointestinal surgery today and has an important future role in our societies. Principles of minimal access surgery, as represented by NOTES, will be developed further and play a future role in medicine.