Bariatric Surgery: Sleeve Gastrectomy

Written By: Sharon Cretsinger

Laparoscopic bariatric surgery for weight control is becoming more and more common as advances are made that allow surgeons to visualize and manipulate internal parts of the body without large incisions.  One of these types of surgeries is the Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy, also known simply as "the sleeve".  In this procedure, the surgeon removes about 80% of the stomach, leaving a much smaller, tubular pouch.  While this surgery is less invasive than a gastric bypass, it has comparable efficacy.  The rate of complications following the surgery is slightly higher.

Sleeve Gastrectomy Weight Loss Surgery Washington DC

These are some of the advantages of the Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy for weight management Washington DC:

• Positive changes in gut hormones that control hunger, reduce appetite and improve feelings of fullness are noted post-surgery.
• The procedure does not require the implantation of any foreign objects into the abdominal cavity.
• There is no bypass or re-routing of consumed foods and drinks.
• The three year, sustained weight loss for patients having this procedure is greater than 50% of the original weight excess.  This is comparable to the gastric bypass procedure.
• The amount of food the stomach can hold, and subsequently the number of calories consumed, is physically restricted by the decreased size of the new stomach pouch.

The Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy has a few disadvantages as a weight loss surgery DC.  Some of these are as follows:

• This procedure is not reversible.  Once a large portion of the stomach has been removed, it is generally not possible to subsequently increase the size of the stomach.  Other procedures, such as the adjustable gastric band, can allow for at least some increase in size because none of the original stomach tissue is completely removed.
• It is possible that patients who have the sleeve procedure will experience long term vitamin deficiencies in the future.  For this reason, those undergoing this procedure must be willing to comply with a life-long supplementation regimen.
• The rate of post-surgical complications with this specific surgical procedure have been noted to be somewhat higher than complications with both the adjustable gastric band and the traditional gastric bypass surgeries.