Sleeve gastrectomy is one of the effective weight loss surgical procedures, in which a big part of the stomach is removed, so it’s much smaller than it was before. Hence, you will be eating less than you used to before surgery as you’ll feel full sooner. The good news is that with sleeve gastrectomy, you can lose 30- 50% of excessive weight or even more!
What the procedure involves?
In the procedure, the surgeon creates a narrow tube from the stomach and removes the remainder. The new stomach tube, or pouch, is about a quarter the size of the original stomach.
Sleeve gastrectomy is a bit different from gastric bypass surgery. Unlike a gastric bypass where food enters a small pouch and then passes straight into the small bowel, the route that food takes following a sleeve gastrectomy is the same as it took before surgery.
Advantages of sleeve gastrectomy:
- The amount of food you take is restricted as you are likely to feel fuller quicker and longer
- Weight loss starts from the time of surgery
- Weight loss tends to be faster than following the gastric band
- You can lose an average 30–50% of your excess weight
- As with the band, your intestines remain intact, so food is digested and absorbed as normal
- The surgery can then be followed by conversion to the gastric bypass or duodenal switch resulting in further weight loss
After sleeve gastrectomy, it is highly recommended that the patient should adhere to dietary advice to achieve the desired weight loss and better weight maintenance.
References (if needed):
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/weight-loss-surgery/types/
- https://www.chelwest.nhs.uk/services/surgery/weight-loss-surgery/surgical-options/sleeve-gastrectomy