Gastric Sleeve / Sleeve Gastrectomy

The gastric sleeve, or sleeve gastrectomy, was conceived as the first stage of a two-part procedure known as the duodenal switch. In many cases, this procedure was staged in two parts for patients with extremely high BMIs. The rationale being that the initial gastric sleeve would reduce the patient’s BMI to a more manageable level at which point it would be safe to finish the operation with a duodenal switch (involving the intestine).

It became clear, that in many cases, the gastric sleeve alone was sufficient to offer the patient exceptional weight loss as well as disease improvement or resolution. The gastric sleeve then became a standalone procedure.

How the Gastric Sleeve is Performed

Today, the gastric sleeve has become the most popular bariatric surgical procedure in the UK.  It is a simple 45 minute long, one-part procedure that involves cutting away and removing about 70 to 80% of the stomach along the greater curvature. What is left is a long, thin gastric tube, about the size and shape of a banana.

Because it involves only a simple vertical cut along the stomach, food is digested normally. The smaller stomach pouch allows for less food being consumed at mealtime.  Equally changes in gut hormone levels occur after surgery causing reduced hunger and early fullness after eating, which is the mechanism for losing weight.

As with the gastric bypass, gastric sleeve is performed in a minimally invasive manner, which means that  only four or five small incisions in the abdomen are needed to perform the procedure.  Mr Ahmed can use in selected cases mini or micro –laparoscopy techniques yielding an almost scarless result.

Results of the Gastric Sleeve

Patients can, on average, lose 25-30% of their total body weight and improve or resolve many of the diseases associated with obesity. Of course, as with any weight loss surgery procedure, results will vary between patients and are largely based on the willingness and ability of the patient to follow their post-bariatric lifestyle change.

Benefits of the Gastric Sleeve

• Excellent excess body weight loss and obesity-related disease resolution or improvement potential
• The simplicity of the procedure, as well as it’s minimally invasive nature, means that most patients will only spend one to two night recovering in hospital after surgery
• The gastric sleeve is easily revised to a gastric bypass if patients do not experience the weight loss that they expect

Considerations of the Gastric Sleeve

• The gastric sleeve is major surgery and comes with all of the inherent risks of any surgical procedure including pain, blood loss and infection
• The procedure is not reversible
• In rare cases, the staple line used to seal the stomach may leak or bleed, requiring an additional surgical procedure
• Some patients may develop or experience a worsening of acid reflux although for most the weight loss often resolves acid reflux.

For more information about the sleeve gastrectomy, please contact us to schedule an appointment with Mr Ahmed.