Gastric Sleeve Surgery

This procedure is becoming a popular option for weight-loss surgery. It is the midway point between gastric banding's purely restrictive procedure and the more radical gastric bypass surgery or duodenal switch surgery. Other names for gastric sleeve resection are sleeve gastrectomy, vertical sleeve gastrectromy, tube gastrectomy and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. The procedure is the removal of a little more that half of the stomach so that it takes the shape of a tube or sleeve. It is performed through laparoscopy and requires stapling and resecting, though it does not require any rerouting

The gastric sleeve procedure is the removal of a little more that half of the stomach so that it takes the shape of a tube or sleeve. It is performed through laparoscopy and requires stapling and resecting though it does not require any anastomoses or rerouting.

Who Is A Good Candidate?

A BMI of 30 or higher in adults is considered obese. Gastric sleeve surgery may also be appropriate for people who can't return for the follow-up visits required by gastric banding. Gastric Banding that has resulted in a complication can be converted into a gastric sleeve, though technically challenging it remains a good option.

After Gastric Sleeve Surgery

This is a non-reversible surgery and is performed under general anesthesia and takes about one to two hours. A one or two day stay in the hospital is usually required after surgery and full recovery from gastric sleeve surgery may take a few weeks.

You would need to become re-used to eating solid foods. Normally this starts with two weeks on a liquid-only diet, two weeks of semi-solid, pureed foods and then solids.

As far as weight loss goes, most people who have gastric sleeve surgery lose an average of 50 percent of their excess body weight over six months to one year. Studies have shown that after the gastric sleeve resection procedure people show improvement in diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and sleep apnea within one to two years. These improvements are comparable with those seen after other weight loss surgeries.

Risks And Complications

• Leaking of the sleeve. The operation requires staples to be inserted into the stomach, and there is always a chance that the staples will tear apart, resulting in a leak. The leaking stomach acids frequently become infected and can cause serious problems that may require another operation or a drainage tube.


• Blood clots


• Weight may be regained over time, because the stomach can stretch.


• Wound infection


• Unlike gastric banding surgeries, no foreign objects are left in the body during the procedure. With gastric banding, the band may slip, erode or become infected.


• Unlike gastric bypass or duodenal switch, there is no bypass of the small intestines with the gastric sleeve, so all nutrients are absorbed and very little chance exists of absorption issues.

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