The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Is A Very Popular Choice

The gastric sleeve, which is often also referred to as the vertical sleeve gastrectomy or merely the sleeve gastrectomy, has been around for a number of years and bariatric surgeons often carry out the procedure as the first operation in a two part weight loss surgical process.

For people who are severely obese with a BMI of over 60 conventional gastric bypass surgery, such as the roux-en-y, carries very high risks and so the gastric sleeve is carried out as this procedure can usually be performed laparoscopically with very little risk. Then, as soon as you have lost enough weight, a further procedure such as classical gastric bypass surgery can be done.

In recent years the view of the gastric sleeve has altered and it is now being used more and more as a stand-alone procedure that is capable by itself of producing results which are similar to those experienced with lap band surgery.

For patients who are afraid of lap band surgery because of concerns about having a foreign body implanted into their abdomen, the gastric sleeve can be an attractive choice. Likewise, it also presents an option for people who are worried about potential long-term side effects of classical gastric bypass surgery such as anemia, intestinal obstruction, ulcers and vitamin and protein deficiency to name simply some.

One other group of people for whom the gastric sleeve can be a life-saver are those patients with a current medical condition which rules out traditional obesity surgery. Patients for example who have Crohn's disease, anemia, Lupus and a whole range of other medical conditions.

The gastric sleeve is a purely restrictive as opposed to a malabsorption operation which produces weight loss by controlling how much you can eat. As a purely restrictive form of surgery weight loss is slower than it would be in the case of bypass surgery but you also avoid several side effects and complications connected to bypass surgery. In spite of the fact that there is no long-term data available yet for the gastric sleeve as a stand-alone operation initial studies indicate that high BMI patients (with a BMI of 50 to 60) should expect to lose around half of their excess weight in the first year after surgery. This figure increases to over two-thirds of excess weight for lower BMI patients (with a BMI of between 30 and 40).

In weight loss surgery terms the sleeve gastrectomy fits between gastric banding and the gastric bypass and is generally a good choice for individuals whose general health means that gastric bypass surgery is not recommended and for many people it can result in sufficient weight loss to make a significant difference to their state of health and their lifestyle.