Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery

(click here to see the vertical sleeve gastrectomy in pictures!)

This is a gastroplasty but unlike earlier gastroplasties, with the vertical gastric sleeve, as much as 90 percent of the stomach is stapled off and removed from the body.

So is it effective? Questionable according to one weight loss surgery surgeon who says he has placed lap bands in several vertical gastric sleeve patients who failed to lose weight after the original surgery.

Is it safe? It's too new to tell but likely patients will at least suffer the same repercussions as those of other gastroplasty (stomach stapling) type surgeries including vitamin B12 shortage and more.

For example, this 30 year patient had a vertical gastroplasty - still had all of her stomach but her stomach didn't work well at all (to put it mildly): Click here to see her website and story...

Gastrectomy is a combination of two Latin words: gastro, meaning “stomach,” and -ectomia, which means “to cut out.”

Advantages

Possibly safer for the long term than the bypass surgeries
Less food gets stuck gets stuck because you don't have an artificial hole for food to go through but since your stomach is so tiny, you may experience discomfort at times.
Although they advertise no vitamin deficiencies with this procedure, observations of long term patients, even those who had their whole stomachs, suggests this is not true. For example, Vicki Barrett, 30 year gastroplasty patient had many vitamin deficiencies

Risks

This is a new procedure so there is a lot they don't know about it.
Patients have complained with perforation of the stomach with this procedure as a longer term repercussion.
The VSG cannot be reversed.
Since the remnant stomach is very small, it is not known how much it still works to digest your food.
Some people get acid reflux after a vertical gastric sleeve
In the long term, you may be in higher risk for a herniated stomach or distention of the esophagus. Some patients have complained that the tiny part of the stomach left can "twist"
Will probably need vitamin B12 shots
SMOKING will make ANY WLS repercussions MUCH WORSE.
Complications can occur with the stapling, such as leaks or bleeding.
What's left of your stomach may stretch in time.
Many foods that you eat now may cause discomfort, nausea or vomiting after your surgery.
Any WLS puts you at higher than normal risk of developing gallstones and gallbladder disease.
Unlike the lap band, the amount of restriction is not adjustable. If you need a revision, it's another risky surgery.
With any weight loss surgery, you may not maintain your weight loss unless you eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. That's why long term follow up is important.

NOTE: Since this is a reasonably new procedure, many insurance companies may not cover this surgery. Also, there is a lack of published evidence for sustained weight loss beyond 3 years however even with WLS surgeries on which studies exist, the evidence suggests that most patients do NOT retain much weight off. The Swedish Obesity study reported at the 10 year point after gastric bypass and VBG, the average retained weight loss was 16 percent of the original weight and that only 35 percent of those with diabetes were still "disease free"