Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy
Sleeve gastrectomy involves removing a large portion of the stomach in order to limit a patient’s food intake. The name of the procedure is not referring to any tool or implant—after sleeve gastrectomy, the stomach resembles more of a sleeve (or banana) than a bag. No bypass or malabsorption is involved, which limits the complications that can occur as a result of the procedure. With minimally invasive surgical tools, gastric sleeve operations allow patients to achieve weight loss and resolve hypertension, sleep apnea, and other co-morbidities tied to excessive weight.
Interestingly, sleeve gastrectomy was initially developed as a “staging” procedure for gastric bypass. It was originally used on patients who were too weak or old for a full bypass, with the expectation of finishing the bypass procedure 12 months after the sleeve surgery. However, surgeons found that after 9-12 months, patients had lost so much weight from the sleeve procedure that full bypass was no longer necessary. Today, it is used both as a standalone procedure and as a first step in a series of weight loss surgeries—offering adolescent, elderly, and fragile patients fewer complications.
Sleeve gastrectomy also provides weight loss for any aged patients who are extremely heavy, giving surgeons the option to pursue a full bypass at a later date. The weight loss from a sleeve procedure is almost as rapid as a gastric bypass, and might be the ideal solution for those who are unable or unwilling to handle a full gastric bypass. It is also ideal for patients who do not want the dietary effects of gastric bypass.
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