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Sleeve Gastrectomy for Weight Loss in Daytona Beach

What is Sleeve Gastrectomy Weight Loss Surgery?

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is a restrictive weight loss procedure that reduces the size of the stomach by about 85%.
This reduction in stomach size limits the amount of food that a person can eat and results in weight loss because of the reduced calorie intake.

Originally the procedure was used as the first part of a two stage surgical approach to weight loss for high risk or extremely obese patients. More recently, the sleeve gastrectomy is available to lower BMI patient s as an alternative to LAP-BAND or gastric bypass weight loss surgeries.

How Does Sleeve Gastrectomy Work?

During the sleeve gastrectomy operation, the surgeon staples off the stomach to form a long tube similar in shape to a banana. Depending on the surgeon performing the procedure, the tube holds between 60cc and 150 cc of food and liquids.

The surgeon removes the unused section of stomach. Because this part of the stomach normally produces the hunger hormone ghrelin, most patients find their appetite greatly reduced and no longer have issues with uncontrollable hunger.

The inelastic wall of the remaining stomach resists stretching and maintains its reduced capacity during food ingestion. Additionally, the narrow diameter of the tube creates greater resistance to food traveling through it. This resistance slows the rate of emptying so the patient feels full longer (satiety).

The combination of smaller capacity, reduced hunger, and longer satiety produces weight loss that compares to LAP-BAND surgery. Some studies indicate that long term results are superior to LAP-BAND and approach those of gastric bypass surgery.

In general, a gastric sleeve patient can expect to lose between 60% and 80% of their excess weight.

How Sleeve Gastrectomy Differs from Other Weight Loss surgeries?

Sleeve gastrectomy is similar to LAP-BAND surgery because it achieves weight loss by restricting the size of the stomach, reducing the amount of food eaten and slowing the passage of food through the digestive system. Unlike the LAP-BAND procedure, the sleeve gastrectomy is not reversible because part of the stomach is removed.

While some weight loss data compares the gastric sleeve with gastric bypass, the two procedures are quite different. Unlike gastric bypass, there is no rerouting of the intestines during the gastric sleeve procedure. This distinction is important as it eliminates many of the issues associated with gastric bypass such as dumping syndrome, vitamin deficiencies, and intestinal obstruction.

Advantages of Sleeve Gastrectomy

• Retains stomach function so food choices can remain relatively normal
• Partial stomach removal eliminates hunger hormone (Ghrelin)
• Can be performed laparoscopically in extremely obese individuals
• Suitable for patients with existing anemia, Crohn's disease and other conditions that may prevent weight loss surgery
• Does not require the periodic adjustment needed for gastric bands

Disadvantages of sleeve gastrectomy

• Non reversible procedure
• Involves stapling and cutting which increases risk of leakage
• As with all restrictive procedures, weight loss can be reduced by ingesting high calorie liquids or soft foods like ice cream.
• Can be more difficult to get insurance coverage as some agencies consider it investigational