Per-oral circular stapler in laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Circular staplers are used to create the gastrojejunostomy of the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. The anvil of the stapler can be placed within the pouch by way of the oropharynx or trans-abdominally, but these methods have limitations. The SurgASSIST Computer Mediated Stapler (Power Medical Interventions, New Hope, PA, USA) is a new technology that changes surgical stapling. The staplers are closed and fired under surgeon control by a computer for better accuracy and reliability. It has a 21-mm stapler, which can be passed orally for endoluminal stapling. The SurgASSIST has several advantages over the traditional circular stapled gastrojejunal anastomosis, including no need to dilate trocars to accommodate the stapler through the abdominal wall and decreased wound infections.